China sent 1,727 military aircraft to the ADIZ zone last year, according to an AFP database, which is based on daily information from Taiwan’s Defense Ministry. As of 2021, there have been 960 of these intrusions and 380 the year before.

Last year, 1,241 fighter jets entered the ADIZ, compared with 537 the previous year, and the number of raid bombers increased from 60 to 101. Among them was the H-6 strategic bomber capable of carrying nuclear bombs.

Chinese drones entered Taiwan’s identification zone for the first time last year, in 71 cases. It happened after the visit of the then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan.

The most ADIZ violations by Chinese aircraft were recorded in August, when Pelosi visited the island. On Christmas Day, China sent 71 aircraft to the island as part of “drill drills” in response to “increased collusion and provocation.” He took the action just days after US President Joe Biden approved a military aid grant to Taiwan of ten billion dollars.

“They want to show determination, will, and keep the United States from approaching or crossing their red line,” former Taiwan chief of staff Lee Hsi-min said of the China talks.

Taipei-based military analyst Michael Cole mentions the impact of China’s actions on Taiwan: “The more frequent flights are worrying and compel the Taiwanese side to be on high alert to ensure that the (Chinese) People’s Liberation Army does not use it as cover for attacks on Taiwanese. However, he said the increased number of these flights did not mean that China “will use force against Taiwan any sooner, at least not as part of an invasion that required months of mobilization.”

A number of countries have identification zones such as the ADIZ, including South Korea, Japan, China, or the United States and Canada. It is wider than any country’s airspace and also over international waters. Countries require that planes fly into them identify themselves.