“Taiwan is, of course, a country,” proclaimed the island’s President Lai Ching-te on June 22. In his first of a series of 10 lectures, Lai reaffirmed that Taiwan’s sovereignty derives from its 23 million people, earning him a swift rebuke from Beijing. True to form, Beijing resorted to calling Lai’s speech “a ‘Taiwan independence’ declaration that blatantly incited cross-strait confrontation.” Given the precedent set in recent years, it was no surprise China sent 132 aircraft to operate around Taiwan in the week following Lai’s speech, with 99 of the aircraft crossing Taiwan’s median line. This isn’t an isolated, one-time event. It is one of the many instances in the last few years of China increasing its military activity around Taiwan. This summer is no exception, and Beijing is turning up the heat even more. So far, China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, has been unwavering in its bullying of Taiwan, despite the commencement of President Donald Trump’s second term. As of April 2025, Chinese activity around Taiwan increased by 30% compared to the previous year. Since 2021 The Heritage Foundation has been analyzing People’s Liberation Army operations near Taiwan. Especially the most provocative act of sending military aircraft across the median line—the de facto midpoint between China and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. In the Western Pacific, summertime is peak military exercise and activity season. Historically, there has been a bell curve uptick in China’s military activity in the summer months. Yearly activity has steadily increased since 2021, with 2022 being a big year in cross-strait escalations, following then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. China has since sustained an increased number of aircraft around Taiwan and normalized the previously extremely rare Taiwan Strait median line crossings. In the summer of 2022, the Chinese military flew an average of 11 aircraft near Taiwan per day, with most of the aircraft on average crossing the median line. In the summer of 2023, average aircraft activity increased to 13 aircraft per day, with an average of four crossing the median line. In a considerable jump, the summer of 2024 saw an average of 17 aircraft per day flying near Taiwan and 12 crossing the median line. Given this upward trend of the last several summers, it is likely that People’s Liberation Army activity will be higher this year than it was in past summers. It is already on track to do so. The first month of summer 2025 has already outpaced summer 2024. From May 15-June 15, China had 359 median line crossing incidents, compared to 288 crossings in the same period last year. Earlier in the year, in the first few days of April, China conducted a large-scale joint exercise called Strait Thunder 2025A. The exercise saw the highest number of aircraft (76) and People’s Liberation Army Navy vessels (43) operating around Taiwan this year so far. China’s military activities are, of course, not limited to the air and waters around Taiwan. It has been busy across the Pacific. China deployed two of its aircraft carriers on a joint deployment from June 7-22, breaking past the second island chain with aircraft carriers for the first time. It was during this exercise period, on June 20, that the highest number of Chinese aircraft crossed the median line this year, at 46 aircraft. The current 30-day average is 16.5 aircraft per day, and the 10-day running average medial line crossings is 13 per day.  Another important Chinese Communist Party summer activity is the annual Beidaihe conclave meeting, an exclusive gathering of top party officials in August. This year, as in past, General Secretary Xi Jinping will likely begin to set the contours of the party’s next five-year plan proposal, for 2026-2030—a critical time to resource the next phase of intimidation and military pressure on Taiwan. As China characteristically ramps up military activity this summer, Taiwan’s resolve will be tested. Taipei announced that July will be its “National Unity Month,” coinciding with an annual military exercise, Han Kuang. This whole-of-society defense exercises will run from July 9-18, double the time compared to last year, and the largest mobilization of reservists to date. Despite the violence unfolding in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, it is the machinations of the Chinese Communist Party in the Indo-Pacific that presents the greatest danger to U.S. interests. China’s increased willingness to flex its military muscle has America’s Pacific partners anxious and allies looking to bolster their security cooperation with the U.S. If the U.S. doesn’t signal strength and resolve, China may read that as an opportunity to dangerously escalate tensions. The post Turning Up the Heat: China Continues Its Years Long Military Pressure Campaign Around Taiwan appeared first on The Daily Signal.