27 Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense zone which resulted in Taiwan scrambling multiple fighter jets and activating missile defense systems. The latest Chinese intrusion included 18 fighter jets, 7 nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, and 2 Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft (which is very unusual), the Taiwan ministry said. The Chinese aircraft flew to the southern part of Taiwan into the Bashi Channel which separates Taiwan from the Philippines.

China made no immediate comment, but has said that these “drills” in the past were aimed at “protecting China’s sovereignty”. It should also be noted that Chinese state-controlled media have been reporting that President Xi Jinping has been holding a 3-day summit with China’s top generals. An official readout of the 3-day summit held by the Chinese president did not make any mention of Taiwan but did stress China’s need to modernize its military in order to be able to win modern wars.