China air force exercises near Taiwan's defense identification zone have tapered off significantly following the release of a joint U.S.-Japan statement calling for peace and stability.
Taiwan military officials said they had seen fewer flybys around its borders after the release of the joint statement in April. The statement was the first time U.S. and Japan leaders named Taiwan and China specifically.
According to official reports, China had sent military jets into Taiwan's air defense identification zone on 75 separate days between Jan. 1 and April 16. Taiwan officials said it had spotted 257 jets during the period. Most of the jets were J-10 and J-16 fighters.
On nine of those 75 days, 10 or more China jets were spotted flying in the nation's air defense identification zone. Experts said China often increases its military activity whenever the U.S. signals greater involvement in Taiwan's affairs.
In April, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stern warning to China. Blinken said the country is ready to respond to any attempted incursion into the island.
"It would be a serious mistake for anyone to try to change that status quo (in Taiwan) by force," Blinken said.
According to Taiwan's Institute of National Defense and Security Research, incursions into the nation's airspace had diminished significantly after U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga jointly called on China to help promote peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
Since April 16, an average of 1.9 China jets only entered Taiwan's air zone a day. Taiwan said it no longer detected any incursion involving 10 or more jets since the summit.
Experts said the Biden-Suga statement had a direct effect on China's recent actions as the nation seems to be backing off from any further aggressive moves that would antagonize the U.S. and its allies.
On May 31, Malaysian military officials spotted 16 China aircraft approaching its territory. The fleet immediately shifted course after Malaysia scrambled its own jets.
