Taiwan Strait

Who controls the Taiwan Strait?

No one fully. China holds the western coast and Taiwan holds the eastern coast and the islands in the strait. The strait is much wider than two 12-nautical-mile territorial seas. Its middle is outside any country's territorial sea. Under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, ships and aircraft of every country may pass freely.

In June 2022 China's foreign ministry said China has "sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction" over the strait and denied that it is international waters. Taiwan's foreign ministry says the strait is international waters. The United States says the freedoms of the high seas apply there. Foreign navies still sail through to make that point. On September 18, 2026, New Zealand's frigate Te Mana and supply ship Aotearoa sailed through the strait.

What is the Taiwan Strait median line?

The median line is an unofficial line down the middle of the strait. US Air Force general Benjamin O. Davis Jr. drew it in 1955 to keep Chinese and Taiwanese forces apart, so no accident would start a war. The line has no legal status, and China never recognized it.

For decades both sides stayed on their own side. No Chinese military aircraft crossed the line from 1955 until 1999. Crossings grew after 2019. In September 2020 China's foreign ministry said there is "no so-called median line." After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August 2022, Chinese aircraft crossed it almost every day. China's vice foreign minister said there is "no such thing as a median line."

Crossings are now routine. On September 5, 2026, Taiwan's defense ministry tracked 20 Chinese military aircraft on a patrol. Twelve of them crossed the line.

How do China's military drills affect the strait?

The drills close zones of sea and air around Taiwan for hours at a time, and ships and planes go around them. They have not closed the strait. China has held six large military exercises around Taiwan since August 2022. In the first, after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, China fired missiles over Taiwan. During the August 2022 drills, more than 200 merchant ships changed course to avoid the drill zones. Taiwan's ports kept working. The Justice Mission exercise on December 29 and 30, 2025 rehearsed a blockade of Taiwan's main ports. China declared eight closed zones around Taiwan for about 10 hours. Ten of the 27 rockets China fired landed in Taiwan's contiguous zone, the closest ever. The drill affected 857 international flights, and 79 domestic flights to Kinmen and Matsu were cancelled. Taiwan's port authority said shipping was not affected.

In 2026 China has used more pressure short of drills. From June 6 to 10, ships of China's Maritime Safety Administration patrolled east of Taiwan. China's Ministry of Transport said the patrol made 198 checks of passing ships, mostly by radio. China's coast guard announced patrols east of Taiwan on September 3 and September 29, and has patrolled near Kinmen since early September.