China has increased training runs by PLAAF aircraft around Taiwan and indicated that such flights are the new normal. Each day from August 12 to 14, 2017, PLAAF aircraft flew in routes that circled Taiwan. The number of such flights has reached eight since the start of July, and the training includes bombers and electronic-warfare aircraft. Taiwan has scrambled fighters as a countermeasure to Chinese actions. According to Taiwan’s National Defense Ministry and the Japanese Defense Ministry, a Chinese Y-8 electronic-warfare airplane went on a training run on the morning of August 14. It first flew west to east over the Bashi Channel, located south of Taiwan, then moved north over sea areas east of the island. It then returned to China through the Miyako Strait, located between Japan’s Miyakojima island and the Okinawa main island. A same-type aircraft made a similar flight on August 13. The previous day, an H-6 bomber joined a Y-8 on the same route. Chinese training flights that circled Taiwan have been confirmed since Tsai Ing-wen became president of Taiwan in May 2016. The flights have increased in frequency since July this year. The Taiwanese air force or the JASDF has scrambled aircraft for each of the Chinese training flights. In some cases, Chinese aircraft have flown along the median line on the west side in the Taiwan Strait between mainland China and Taiwan. The first Chinese military aircraft flight around Taiwan occurred on July 13, 2017. An official of China's Ministry of National Defence issued a statement about the training flights on July 14 and said “You should not make a fuss over them or look into them too much. You should get accustomed to them.”
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