Maps: Tracking Tensions Between China and Taiwan
Taiwan
Aug. 7, 2022
Shows of force near Taiwan and Japanese islands
Over the past five days, China has been sending military aircraft and unmanned drones into areas close to Taiwan and Japan’s westernmost islands as part of its effort to intimidate Taiwan and the United States.
Taiwan’s military reported that Chinese military aircraft have entered what it calls its “Air Defense Identification Zone” or crossed the Taiwan Strait median line at least 131 times during this period.
Incursions of Chinese military aircraft
Reports of aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone or crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, Aug. 2-6.
EAST
CHINA SEA
Wenzhou
CHINA
Chinese
military
aircraft
Taiwan’s
Air Defense Identification Zone
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
Taipei
Quanzhou
Japanese
islands
Taiwan Strait median line
Xiamen
KINMEN
ISLANDS
Taichung
TAIWAN
Magong
Kaohsiung
Chinese military exercise areas
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Pratas
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Batanes
75 miles
Ningbo
EAST
CHINA SEA
CHINA
Wenzhou
Chinese
military
aircraft
Taiwan’s
Air Defense Identification Zone
Fuzhou
Taipei
Quanzhou
Japanese
islands
Taiwan Strait
median line
Taichung
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
Chinese military
exercise areas
PACIFIC
OCEAN
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
The aircraft have included at least 105 fighter jets and other types of warplanes. While Taiwan has reported similar incursions into this Air Defense Identification Zone since at least 2020, the number of sorties detected in recent days has been unprecedented.
Rising number of incursions
Number of Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone or crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, seven-day rolling average.
15
China announces military exercises.
Daily incursions
10
5
0
Sept.
2020
Jan.
2021
July
2021
Jan.
2022
Aug.
2022
China announces
military exercises.
15
Daily incursions
10
5
0
Sept.
2020
Jan.
2021
July
2021
Jan.
2022
Aug.
2022
Japan’s defense ministry reported multiple flights of Chinese military drones near Miyakojima, one of Japan’s westernmost islands, on Aug. 4. This was just two days after Japan reported that at least five Chinese missiles had landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Chinese drones near Japanese islands on Aug. 4
Japanese exclusive economic zone
CHINA
EAST
CHINA SEA
Wenzhou
Chinese
military
drones
Okinawa
Chinese military exercise areas
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
Chinese warship
Taipei
Japanese islands
Miyakojima
Taichung
Magong
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
PACIFIC
OCEAN
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
50 miles
Batanes
Ningbo
CHINA
Japanese exclusive economic zone
EAST
CHINA SEA
Wenzhou
Chinese
military
drones
Chinese military exercise areas
Okinawa
MATSU
ISLANDS
Chinese warship
Taipei
Japanese islands
Miyakojima
Taichung
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
PACIFIC
OCEAN
100 miles
EAST
CHINA SEA
Ningbo
Chinese
military
drones
CHINA
Japanese exclusive economic zone
Wenzhou
Chinese military exercise areas
MATSU
ISLANDS
Chinese warship
Taipei
Japanese islands
Miyakojima
Taichung
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
PACIFIC
OCEAN
The Chinese military said in a statement on Saturday that its military exercises in the sea and airspaces north, east and southwest of Taiwan were meant to test its capabilities for land and sea assaults. State media has indicated that the actions could mark a new pattern of more regular and more aggressive incursions.
Aug. 4, 2022
Chinese missiles land near Taiwan and in Japan’s economic zone
At least 11 Chinese missiles fell into the sea to the north, south and east of Taiwan on Thursday. The People’s Liberation Army declared that its missiles “all precisely hit their targets,” even as Japan said that five had landed in its exclusive economic zone.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense described the paths of nine of the missiles, including the five that Japan said had landed in its exclusive economic zone — the first time any had landed in those waters.
Wenzhou
EAST
CHINA SEA
CHINA
Approximate missile paths
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
Japanese exclusive
economic zone
Quanzhou
Taipei
Japanese islands
Xiamen
Military exercise areas
KINMEN
ISLANDS
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
Five of the
missiles fell
into this area
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
PHILIPPINES
50 miles
EAST
CHINA SEA
Wenzhou
CHINA
Approximate
missile paths
Fuzhou
Japanese
exclusive
economic
zone
MATSU
ISLANDS
Quanzhou
Taipei
Xiamen
KINMEN
ISLANDS
Japanese
islands
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
Five of the
missiles fell
into this area
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Military exercise areas
75 miles
PHILIPPINES
Aug. 2, 2022
Where China is planning military drills
Shortly after Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plane landed in Taiwan late Tuesday, China announced it would hold military drills in an area that appeared to infringe on Taiwan’s territorial waters, even closer to Taiwan than similar areas that were announced during the Taiwan Strait crisis in the mid-1990s.
1995-96
exercise
areas
CHINA
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
2022
exercise
areas
Taipei
Japanese islands
Xiamen
KINMEN
ISLANDS
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Taiwan territorial waters
Taiwan marine border
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
PACIFIC
OCEAN
Batanes
50 miles
1995-96
exercise
areas
CHINA
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
2022
exercise
areas
Taipei
Xiamen
KINMEN
ISLANDS
PACIFIC
OCEAN
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Taiwan territorial waters
Taiwan marine border
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
Batanes
50 miles
1995-96
exercise
areas
CHINA
2022
exercise
areas
Fuzhou
MATSU
ISLANDS
Taipei
Xiamen
KINMEN
ISLANDS
PACIFIC
OCEAN
TAIWAN
Kaohsiung
Taiwan territorial
waters
SOUTH
CHINA SEA
Taiwan marine
border
Exercises will be held in areas less than 10 miles from the Taiwanese coast.
Batanes
75 miles
In a statement published by the state news agency, Xinhua, China warned ships and planes not to enter those areas for “security reasons.” One of the planned drill areas appeared to be less than 12 miles from Kaohsiung, a southern port city, according to a map released by Xinhua.
Notes on the maps
2022 military exercise areas: Maps showing the 2022 exercise areas were published by Chinese state media on Aug. 2. Coordinates describing these areas published separately by the Chinese government have several discrepancies with the maps; the mapped area is shown.