Why PLA fighter jet sorties near Taiwan dropped to a 3-year low in the first half of 2026

Beijing is shifting cross-strait military strategy, halving aerial missions and increasing coastguard patrols in the waters near the island

There is a change in the skies and waters around Taiwan.

In the first half of this year, the number of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fighter jets detected near the island more than halved year on year to 1,334.

It was a three-year low and marked the lowest operational tempo since 2023, according to a tally by the South China Morning Post based on data from Taiwan’s defence ministry.

At the same time, the number of days no PLA jets were detected by Taiwan hit a new high, and the PLA did not stage any large-scale drills around the island – a first since 2022.

Those drills set new norms, with mainland China sending fighter jets and later, vessels, near the island on an almost daily basis.