China has also been deploying increasing numbers of non-military government ships such as coastguard, marine research and maritime safety vessels in waters around Taiwan. Defence experts believe the missions gather ocean data for submarine warfare and simulate coercive measures that could be used in a blockade.

The U.S. aircraft was a P-8A Poseidon patrol and reconnaissance plane, according to the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command.

Adm. Lisa Franchetti outlined a seven-goal plan for 2027, which Washington has repeatedly said is Xi Jinping's target for readying China's military.

It’s 2028, and U.S. intelligence services have assessed that the Chinese military is preparing a full-scale invasion of Taiwan to make good on Chinese President Xi Jinping’s pledge to “ reunify ” the island with the mainland.

Many experts argue that China is preparing to seize Taiwan, driven by economic, geopolitical, and historical motivations. The CCP views Taiwan's annexation as a way to solidify its dominance in the Indo-Pacific and erase the legacy of the Chinese Civil War.