China's Military Aircraft Buzz Taiwan After Lull

0:00On March 15, Taiwan reported 26 Chinese military aircraft buzzing around the island on Sunday ending a puzzling low of more than two weeks. In Beijing's usual air patrols. China typically flies spider jets and drones near Taiwan every day with breaks only for bad weather, but activity dropped sharply after February. 25. When Taiwan last spotted 30 planes in a big patrol, that quiet stretch from late February through early March fueled guesses in Taipei about Beijing's plans like tweaking pressure tactics ahead of US. President Donald Trump's China visit starting March 31, or amid President Xi Jinping's recent military shakeups. China states silent on the pause, but fired back at Taiwan President Leiching Tay's push for stronger defenses, warning against risky moves. Taiwan's defense minister pointed out, Chinese warships never left the area, so the overall threat lingers as the island firmly rejects Beijing's territorial demands.