Defense & Geopolitics — 2026-03-25
PLAAF Sorties Near Taiwan Resume After Two-Week Lull; Naval Activity Never Paused
Chinese air force sorties near Taiwan resumed in mid-March after an unprecedented two-week lull that saw 17 days without PLAAF activity between February 15 and March 15, the longest pause since 2022. The lull coincided with Lunar New Year and the Two Sessions political meetings. Analysts suggest Beijing may also have sought to calm tensions ahead of Trump's now-rescheduled China visit. Taiwan's defense minister cautioned against reading too much into the pause, noting that PLA Navy activity around Taiwan continued uninterrupted throughout the period.
Analysis
The PLAAF lull coincided precisely with the period when US combat power was being repositioned toward CENTCOM forEpic Fury . Beijing's resumed sorties after the Two Sessions suggests the pause was politically driven, not a response to US posture changes. Taiwan's defense minister's caution about naval activity continuing is significant: PLA Navy operations are the more operationally relevant indicator for an actual Taiwan contingency.
The PLAAF lull coincided precisely with the period when US combat power was being repositioned toward CENTCOM for