China has increased military flights near Taiwan by 300%, U.S. general says
Gen. Kevin Schneider, a top US commander in the region, told NBC News that Chinese military flights have increased dramatically since Taiwan’s new president took office in May.
The Chinese military has increased its provocative flights around Taiwan by 300% over the last five months, according to the commander of the U.S. Air Forces in the Indo-Pacific Command.
In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Gen. Kevin Schneider warned that People’s Liberation Air Force activities have increased dramatically since Taiwan’s new president was inaugurated in May.
“Whether it’s coming into the air defense identification zone or crossing the center line within the Taiwan Strait, since the inauguration we have seen a 300% increase in those air activities,” he said.
From May 2023 until November 2023, China violated Taiwan’s air defense identification zone 335 times, according to figures released by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense compiled by NBC News. During that same timeframe this year, China violated that same airspace at least 1,085 times, more than three times as many as the previous year.
During some months, the difference was even more pronounced. In July 2023, for example, 50 Chinese aircraft violated Taiwan's air defense zone. In July 2024, 210 did, more than four times as many.
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