23rd July 2026 – (Taipei) Maritime authorities in mainland China have issued a navigation alert covering parts of the Taiwan Strait as live-fire military exercises take place over two consecutive days.
According to a notice published on Thursday, 23rd July, by the Zhangzhou Maritime Safety Administration, certain waters in the strait will be off limits from 6am to 6pm on both Thursday and Friday, 24th July, while the drills are under way. Vessels have been instructed not to enter the designated areas during the specified periods.
The development comes amid heightened military activity around the strait. Taiwan’s defence authorities reported that between 6am on Wednesday, 22 July, and 6am on Thursday, they detected 21 mainland military aircraft sorties, alongside six naval vessels and two official ships operating in the vicinity. Of the aircraft identified, 20 were said to have crossed the median line of the strait, entering airspace to the north and south-west of Taiwan.
By mid-morning on Thursday, Taiwan’s air force had reportedly issued two radio warnings to aircraft in the south-western sector, at altitudes of approximately 3,000 metres and 7,000 metres. Activity involving a mainland ship-borne helicopter was also recorded in the south-eastern area.
Separately, mainland authorities announced the launch of a carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on Thursday, with its trajectory directed towards the western Pacific. Taiwan’s defence department stated that the flight path passed through its Air Defence Identification Zone, although further operational details were not disclosed.
In another development earlier in the week, the United States naval survey vessel USNS Henson was reported to have entered waters to the south-west of Qimei Island in the Penghu archipelago late on Tuesday, 21st July. Mainland coast guard ships were said to have followed the vessel in close proximity, prompting Taiwan’s navy and coast guard to monitor the situation throughout