TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Chinese military has ramped up flights around Taiwan over the last five months, Kevin Schneider, commander of the US Air Forces in the Indo-Pacific Command, said in a recent NBC interview.
The Chinese Air Force has increased activity by 300% since Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) inauguration in May, Schneider warned. This includes air defense identification zone incursions and crossings over the Taiwan Strait median line.
China is building a massive rocket force and other capabilities to intimidate other nations in the region, Schneider said.
These efforts are “a pressurization campaign designed to win without fighting, and I think just to continue to impose costs, physical or otherwise, to present a fait accompli to the world,” he said. It demonstrates to the world that China “can accomplish their objectives.”
The commander said it is unclear whether China will take action in 2027 but stressed that it has grown more aggressive and is conducting military operations further away from its coast.
Schneider said Beijing aims to drive the US out of the region while building its military capabilities. However, if regional stability is undermined, Washington “will react with an incredibly capable network of allies and partners. "