China sends 6 warplanes across Taiwan Strait median line

Aug 15, 2026

Taiwan says Chinese warplanes and warships pushed up to the island right after its big yearly war games ended — a show of pressure that keeps tensions high.

  • Taiwan's defense ministry detected 10 Chinese military planes heading out to sea, with 6 crossing the Strait's unofficial dividing line into Taiwan's northern and central airspace.
  • The planes flew alongside Chinese navy ships in what Beijing calls a "joint combat patrol," which Taiwan calls harassment of the air and sea around the island.
  • The move came one day after Taiwan wrapped up its 10-day Han Kuang war games, its largest annual military drill.
  • Taiwan says it tracked the incursion closely and responded with its own aircraft, ships, and shore-based missile systems.

Outlook: These crossings are becoming routine, so expect Beijing to keep up the pressure with more patrols near Taiwan.

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