43 Chinese Military Aircraft, 14 PLAN Vessels, 2 Official Ships Spotted Around Taiwan, China Designates 40 Mile Drill Zone 40NM Off Island's Coastline
Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said China designated a drill zone 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung, Taiwan.
TAIPEI - According to Taiwan's Ministry of Defense 43 Chinese military aircraft, 14 PLA Navy (PLAN) vessels, and 2 official ships were spotted around Taiwan on February 26th, 2025. Additionally, Taiwan's MOD said China designated a drill zone 40 nautical miles off the coast of Kaohsiung and Pingtung, Taiwan.
Chinese Military Activity Around Taiwan Intensifies After Canadian, US Naval Vessels Transit Strait
Map: Geographical locations of the 16 sites in Taiwan. Taipei: site 1; Taoyuan: site 2; Hsinchu: site 3; Miaoli: site 4; Taichung: sites 5 and 6; Changhua: site 7; Yunlin: site 8; Chiayi: sites 9 and 10; Tainan: sites 11 and 12; Kaohsiung: sites 13 and 14; Pingtung: sites 15 and 16. Credit: Cathy-Chen at Research Gate, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International.
Of the military aircraft initially spotted there were 11, including fighter aircraft, and at least one helicopter and drone. 9 of the Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered into the island's northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).
Later, 32 additional Chinese military aircraft were spotted, 22 of which crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered into the island's northern and southwestern ADIZ, conducting joint air and sea training along with PLAN vessels in the area.