China has six navy warships and 38 aeroplanes in the area near Taiwan.

China's military flew 38 fighter jets and other warplanes near Taiwan, the Taiwanese defense ministry said Friday, in the biggest such flight display since the large military exercise in which it simulated sealing off the island earlier in April. Chinese navy vessels were also seen in the area as part of China's long-running campaign of intimidation against Taiwan. China's People's Liberation Army issued a protest over the flight of a United States Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft through the Taiwan Strait, which separates mainland China from the self-governing island democracy claimed by Beijing. The U.S. 7th Fleet said Thursday's flight was in accordance with international law and demonstrated the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Beijing has threatened to bring Taiwan under its control by force if necessary, and China's intensely nationalistic leader Xi Jinping has sworn never to give up “a single inch” of territory claimed by his country.

The Defense Ministry reported that 19 aircraft flew across the midline in the Taiwan Strait, including five SU-30 and two J-16 fighter jets, as well as one drone. China's efforts to train for a potential attack, wear down the island's military and impact Taiwan's politics have become increasingly ambitious. China held exercises simulating the sealing off the island after the April 5 meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California. China opposes any exchanges at the official level between Taiwan and other governments.