The flights “clearly and unmistakably displayed China’s sovereignty over Taiwan,” the Global Times, a pugnaciously nationalist Chinese newspaper, said in an editorial, adding, “The greater the number of combat planes gathering together, the more it shows that our military is forming a powerful wartime aerial assault force.”China’s flights into the Taiwanese zone usually feature slower-moving reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft, as well as fighter jets, according to records compiled by Gerald C. Brown, a defense analyst in Washington. But this year, Mr. Brown’s data indicates, the Chinese air force has sent bombers more often — an intimidating step, …
