Taiwan Defense Ministry Chinese military flights around Taiwan have increased in recent weeks. Those flights are seen as Chinese efforts to test Taiwan and send a message to its partners, especially the US. But the aircraft included in those operations hint at a larger Chinese effort to improve its military's capabilities. China's military flights around Taiwan have intensified in recent weeks in what is seen as an effort to test Taiwan and to send a message to its partners, especially the US. Amid those operations, China appears to be continuing an ongoing effort to improve its military's ability to fight below the waters off its coast.