Around the Taiwan Sea, 21 aircraft and 15 vessels were detected and 13 crossed the middle line of the Strait.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense on September 6 announced the latest military dynamics around the Taiwan Sea: from 6 a.m. on September 5 to 6 a.m. on September 6, the Taiwan Army captured a total of 21 Chinese military aircraft, 10 Communist vessels and 5 official vessels in Taiwan's surroundings, of which 13 sub-military aircraft crossed the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones.

Continuing pressure from Beijing from the “Vietnam Line”

based onTaiwan's Ministry of Defense announced on September 6The military aircraft that crossed the middle line or entered the relevant airspace accounted for more than 60 percent of the total number of detected aircraft on the day.The Taiwanese military said that it has used mission aircraft, warships and shore missile systems for monitoring and response.

It should be distinguished that Taiwan has announced the results of its military surveillance; at present, there is no public announcement that the two sides have been engaged in a firearm, nor is there any evidence that a new blockade of real ammunition occurred on the same day.

Gray zone pressure behind 21 units

Beijing has long increased the frequency of operations around Taiwan with military aircraft, warships and naval guards, forcing Taiwan to continue to invest in radar surveillance, preparedness patrol, maritime surveillance and coastal defense resources even if it is not in a state of war.

From the practical effect of the Chinese-Taiwan policy, frequently crossing the middle line of the Strait, which has a sense of risk management in the past, is constantly compromising the military buffer space between the two sides. For Taiwan, what is really worth warning is not the single-day numbers themselves, but this action is gradually shaped by Beijing to the process of so-called "normal".

Key figures of the day

• 21: total number of Chinese military aircraft detected by the Taiwanese military;
• 13: crossing the middle line of the Taiwan Strait and entering the northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones;
• 10: Chinese naval vessels;
• 5: Chinese official vessels;
• 24 hours: this statistical interval is from 6 a.m. on September 5 to 6 a.m. on September 6.

Focus on China’s observation: Military “normalization” is itself a political tool

The Communist Party of China does not need to launch large-scale military exercises every day to create security pressure on Taiwan.Continuously sending military aircraft and warships across the line activities can also test Taiwan's reaction, consume defense resources, and try to change the perception of the international community of the "normal scope" of military activities in the Taiwan Sea.

However, it is still necessary to adhere to the boundaries of evidence when judging Beijing’s next intention. The existing data are sufficient to confirm the high intensity of Taiwanese military reports, but not enough to assert that war is imminent. Being alert to Chinese military coercion is not in conflict with avoiding exaggerating unconfirmed war predictions.