Salt for lasting peace

Heightened Chinese activity detected

2026-11-04

FORTY-NINE AIRCRAFT: The frequency and number of aircraft and ship sorties will likely continue to increase, but the important thing is vigilance, an analyst said Taiwan detected 49 sorties of military aircraft around Taiwan in the 24 hours leading up to 6am yesterday, in what analysts described as heightened “gray zone” activity. Aside from the 49 Chinese military aircraft, six warships and six government vessels were also detected around the nation during the period, the Ministry of National Defense said. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), director of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research’s Defense Strategy and Resources Division, said that the sudden surge in Chinese military aircraft and vessels around Taiwan was part of what he described as a “quiet exercise,” with Beijing maintaining high-intensity “gray zone”