Days after Lai Ching-te's inauguration, the PLA conducts major exercises around Taiwan framed by Beijing as punishment for his inaugural address. Detected air activity around the island subsequently roughly doubles, with Taiwan reporting monthly totals in excess of 300 sorties at peak.
Why it mattersThe step-change in reported activity after May 2024 established the baseline against which everything since is measured — including the partial return toward earlier levels during 2026. Note that these are detections published by one government, not independently measured figures, and the module treats them as such.