China ramped up military pressure on Taiwan, sending warplanes across the sensitive midline boundary in a show of force that Taipei calls harassment, not routine activity.

• Taiwan detected 29 Chinese aircraft, including fighters, bombers, and drones, operating near the island, with 22 crossing the Taiwan Strait midline into northern, central, southwestern, and eastern airspace.
• China paired the flights with naval patrols, framing them as "joint combat readiness patrols," a label Taiwan rejects as cover for intimidation.
• Taiwan's military responded by tracking the activity with joint surveillance systems and dispatching its own aircraft, ships, and coastal missile units.
• This is part of a sustained pattern of near-daily Chinese pressure on Taiwan, keeping cross-strait tensions elevated without crossing into direct conflict.

Outlook: Expect these incursions to continue as a recurring pressure tactic, with risk of escalation if an incident or miscalculation occurs during one of these patrols.