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China Ends Unusual Two-Week Air Lull Near Taiwan With Limited Sorties

Analysts increasingly view the pause as pre-summit signaling ahead of a late-March Xi–Trump meeting.

A J-15 Chinese fighter jet prepares to take off from the Shandong aircraft carrier during a combat readiness patrol on April 9, 2023.
FILE - In this image made from video, a mirage fighter jet prepares to take off at an Air base in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Thursday, April 6, 2023. (AP Photo, file)

Overview

  • Taiwan reported a rare 13-day stretch without detected PLA warplanes starting Feb. 27, interrupted only by two aircraft on March 6, before small numbers returned this week.
  • Flights resumed in limited fashion with three on Wednesday and two on Thursday, bringing the two-week total to seven versus 92 in the same period last year, according to Taiwan’s daily tallies cited by the AP.
  • The latest activity coincided with a U.S. Navy P-8 transit of the Taiwan Strait, which the 7th Fleet framed as support for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
  • Taiwan’s defense minister, Wellington Koo, said Chinese naval operations continued throughout the lull, and the island’s forces are maintaining vigilance.
  • Explanations remain unconfirmed, with analysts pointing to pre-summit optics during China’s Two Sessions, a possible training shift away from Taiwan, and, more speculatively, fuel and cost pressures.