On Friday last week, 38 Chinese military aircraft crossed into Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the highest single-day tally since records on incursions were made public in September last year. The following day, the number increased to 39 and on Monday Beijing set another record, dispatching 56 aircraft into the same area.
The sharp escalation in China’s “gray zone” campaign against Taiwan caused international commentators to posit theories to explain Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) reasons for upping the ante. These have ranged from anger at Taiwan’s application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, an
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