Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense reported on August 5 that multiple groups of aircraft and ships from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army repeatedly crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait. The disclosure came from the Taiwanese defense authorities, which did not release exact counts but described the PLA activities as “extremely provocative.”
The Ministry of Defense in Taiwan stressed that its armed forces are closely monitoring the evolving situation and have raised combat readiness in preparation for any potential armed conflict. It also noted that the Taiwanese military does not seek to provoke or escalate tensions but will respond to defend the island’s security and regional stability.
China’s military drills near Taiwan began on August 4 in response to the visit of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taipei without prior approval from Beijing. Chinese officials condemned the visit as an intrusion on the sovereignty of the People’s Republic of China and filed formal objections. Concurrently, several media outlets observed that the onset of the PLA exercises coincided with heightened regional risk, including the deployment of missiles during the exercises, which raised alarm among neighboring states and international observers.
There was also domestic commentary in the United States suggesting that President Joe Biden could be moving toward arming Taiwan to bolster its defenses against China, a debate that reflects broader concerns about cross-strait security and regional alliances.