Beijing made a record number of incursions into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone last year, but analysts say the hawkish strategy is more a signal to the world than a threat to the island’s resolve. Analysts agreed that China’s military threats were likely to continue this year but escalation into conflict was highly unlikely. Richard Bitzinger, a Visiting Senior Fellow at RSIS, said the chances of Beijing pushing too hard and triggering a conflict were a “long shot” but that pressure would remain.