On June 24, eight Chinese fighters flew across the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan’s air force scrambled their jets in response, as they do almost every day. But this time, the People’s Liberation Army aircraft flew closer than they have before: right up to what is known as Taiwan’s contiguous zone, a buffer area just 12 nautical miles outside its sovereign airspace, before turning back.
The country’s defence ministry warned that any forceful entry into its sovereign airspace or waters would be met with a “counterattack in self-defence”. Since then, Chinese military aircraft have come as close at least once more, according to a Taiwanese national security official.