China Increases Military Incursions Around Taiwan Territorial Waters

The Government of China intensified military pressure around Taiwan between June 29 and July 2, 2026, deploying waves of naval vessels and aircraft to assert its claim that the island is an inseparable part of China. Activity began on June 29 with the detection of seven naval vessels and three official ships, followed by a period of no aircraft activity. By July 1, the scale increased to 13 aircraft sorties and 10 naval vessels, with nine aircraft crossing the median line into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

On July 2, the People's Liberation Army conducted two separate waves of incursions. An early morning report identified five aircraft and six naval vessels, followed by a larger operation involving 22 aircraft, including J-16, H-6, and KJ-500 models. Twenty of these aircraft crossed the median line into the northern, central, and southwestern ADIZ before proceeding to the western Pacific for joint air-sea training.

Taiwan's Republic of China Armed Forces monitored and responded to these movements. Taiwan Coast Guard personnel near the Penghu islands reported that Chinese ships have effectively erased the unofficial median line buffer. In response, Taiwan has utilized water cannons and radio warnings under a policy of not provoking and not yielding. Simultaneously, Taiwan has advanced its own maritime capabilities, with its first domestically built submarine departing the Port of Kaohsiung for its 15th sea trial.