Gen. Kevin Schneider, commander of the U.S. Air Force Indo-Pacific Command, told NBC News that the Chinese military has increased flights near Taiwan by 300 percent in the past five months. exclusive interview on friday.
As reported by NBC News, Schneider said, “We've seen a 300% increase in these air activities since we launched, whether it's entering the air defense identification zone or crossing the center line within the Taiwan Strait.”
Schneider said PLA Air Force activity has “dramatically increased” since Taiwan's President Lai Ching-de took office in May, according to a report by NBC News.
This comes after Taiwan said an invasion from China was a serious possibility, including concerns about a possible invasion in 2027, although whether China would carry out an attack remains unclear. It remains unclear. Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his military to prepare for a potential attack, but that does not mean it will happen soon.
According to Taiwan Ministry of Defense statistics compiled by NBC News, China “violated” Taiwan's air defense zone more than 330 times between May 2023 and November 2023. From May 2024 to November 2024, China committed similar acts at least 1,085 times. , according to NBC News.
“The biggest challenge he faces comes from the Chinese government,” said Schneider, who oversees more than 40,000 airmen in Japan, South Korea, Hawaii, Alaska and Guam, as reported by NBC News.
As NBC News highlighted, “the behavior that comes with it is bullying, it's aggression,” he said.
The Hill contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C.
