Taiwan deploys missiles after Chinese helicopter enters its air defense zone

Monday 02 February 2026 - 09:50

By: Dakir Madiha

Taiwan deploys missiles after Chinese helicopter enters its air defense zone

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected a Chinese military helicopter and six warships operating near its territory on Sunday. The helicopter crossed into the eastern air defense identification zone without breaching the Taiwan Strait median line, marking yet another instance in a pattern of persistent incursions that has prompted Taipei to bolster its monitoring capabilities.

In response, Taiwan scrambled aircraft, warships, and coastal missile systems to track the Chinese activity. The ministry stated it had closely monitored the situation and responded appropriately, as posted on X.

This incident follows a detection the previous day of three Chinese aircraft sorties and eight warships around the island. On Friday, Taiwan reported 26 People's Liberation Army aircraft, with 19 crossing the median line into the northern, central, and southwestern air defense zones, accompanied by six warships and one official vessel.

Throughout January 2026, Taiwan recorded 269 Chinese military aircraft and 214 vessels incursions, according to the ministry. This escalation aligns with what the Center for Strategic and International Studies terms "gray zone tactics," aimed at advancing security objectives short of direct force.

The ongoing Chinese military presence unfolds amid broader regional security shifts. South Korea and Japan agreed on Friday to resume bilateral naval search-and-rescue exercises after a nine-year hiatus, as announced by Seoul's Defense Ministry. South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi met in Yokosuka, Japan, pledging to enhance personnel exchanges and explore cooperation in areas from artificial intelligence to space.

This meeting between the two U.S. allies comes as ties between Tokyo and Beijing fray, following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's November remarks suggesting a Chinese attack on Taiwan could qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" justifying Japanese military action.

Taiwan continues to upgrade its radar and surveillance systems to counter mounting challenges in the strait, as noted by a coast guard official in Nikkei Asia. President Lai Ching-te has pledged to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP and proposed a $40 billion special budget over eight years from 2026 to 2033 for weapons purchases, including an advanced air defense system dubbed the Taiwan Dome. "Facing China's alarming military ambitions, Taiwan has no time to lose," Lai declared in his New Year address.