Taiwan reports surge in Chinese naval and air activity

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence said Chinese military activity around the island increased sharply in early July 2026. On July 5 the ministry detected seven People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels and seven official ships, while a day earlier it reported eight aircraft sorties, ten naval vessels and seven official ships, with six aircraft entering Taiwan’s southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). On July 6 the count fell to five aircraft sorties, eight naval vessels and three official ships, three of which entered the ADIZ.

A senior Taiwanese security official said the rise forms an “upward trend” during the peak drill season, noting that more than 110 Chinese military and Coast Guard ships were tracked along the First Island Chain – the area stretching from Japan to the Philippines and Borneo. The trend coincides with joint China‑Russia naval exercises near Qingdao, which Taiwan says aim to challenge the “denial and defence strategy” of the United States and its allies. Taiwan continues to monitor the movements, warning that the warning time for any potential attack is shortening.