TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's two major parties offered starkly different responses to Beijing this week: one released data showing Chinese military incursions have surged fifteenfold; the other sent a delegation that met with China's fourth-ranking leader. The contrast laid bare the island's fundamental divide over how to respond to China's growing military pressure — a question that 23 million Taiwanese will weigh in local elections later this year.
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) reported Sunday (Feb. 1) that Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) — a self-declared buffer where it monitors approaching aircraft — 5,709 times last year, up from 380 in 2020. The party characterized the incursions as "gray zone" warfare — military pressure designed to drain Taiwan's defenses without triggering armed conflict.
Each sortie forces Taiwan's air force to scramble jets, burning fuel, wearing down equipment and exhausting pilots, the DPP's China Affairs account emphasized on Facebook, noting that major Chinese exercises last year — including "Strait Thunder-2025A" (海峽雷霆-2025A) in April and "Justice Mission 2025" (正義使命2025) in December — repeatedly approached Taiwan's 12-nautical-mile (22.2 km) territorial baseline.
The report landed one day before a 40-member Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT, 中國國民黨) delegation departed for Beijing. Led by Vice Chairman Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), the group met Wednesday (Feb. 4) with Wang Huning (王滬寧), the fourth-ranking member of China's Communist Party (CCP, 中國國民黨), at the Great Hall of the People — a meeting widely seen as laying groundwork for KMT Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) to eventually meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping (習近平).
The KMT delegation focused on tourism, artificial intelligence, disaster prevention and carbon reduction, producing 15 joint recommendations, including restoring direct cross-strait flights. "The KMT wants to be a voice for Taiwan's industry, a protector of everyday people and a maker of cross-strait peace," Hsiao said before departing. He cited a September 2025 survey showing 88% of Taiwanese believe cross-strait communication channels must be maintained, including 75% of DPP supporters.
In contrast, media reports have warned that China's military activities extend beyond Taiwan to the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Sea of Japan. The United States, Japan, Australia, the Philippines, the EU and G7 nations have warned that Beijing's tactics pose a major risk to regional security, reports said.
Both parties claim to represent Taiwan's interests. The DPP offers deterrence backed by technical data; the KMT offers dialogue backed by on-the-ground interaction with Beijing. Whether the two can coexist remains the island's most consequential, yet unanswered question. Meanwhile, Chinese aircraft continue to fly. ◼
