China’s 40-Day Airspace Closure Near Taiwan Deepens Fears of Military Attack

China has sealed off a vast stretch of international airspace north of Taiwan for 40 days, shutting civilian aircraft out of an area spanning roughly 73,000 square kilometers. Its scale is striking. More striking still is Beijing’s refusal to say what the closure is for.

A restriction this large would normally come with a clear explanation and advance warning. This one did not. Instead, China has carved out a huge no-fly zone for civilian aviation, leaving the region guessing about what may be happening inside it.

An Airspace Restriction Large Enough to Alarm the Region

The closure began on March 27 and will remain in force until May 6, creating an unusually long 40-day restriction in international airspace north of Taiwan. It consists of five exclusion zones across the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea, covering about 73,000 square kilometers in total, roughly twice the size of Taiwan.

The measure was issued through a NOTAM, the alert system used to