Taiwan sent ships and fighter jets to monitor a second Chinese joint combat readiness patrol near the island, marking a repeat operation within a seven-day span [1, 2, 3, 4]. Taiwan’s Defence Ministry detected 21 Chinese aircraft including J-16 fighters and drones, as well as warships operating in the area during the patrol [1, 2]. However, Taiwan’s National Defence Ministry reported the operation involved 29 Chinese aircraft and seven warships, with 24 aircraft crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait [3].
This episode follows a similar joint patrol China conducted on May 19 [1]. Taiwan officials confirmed the second patrol ended on May 26 but said monitoring continues, including tracking the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, which remains active in the Western Pacific [1, 2, 3]. Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu called the activity "unprovoked" and said, "The PRC is the sole source of instability in the Indo-Pacific" [3, 1].
China has stepped up its military presence around Taiwan, conducting near-daily operations with warships and planes. Beijing views Taiwan as its territory, but Taiwan rejects these sovereignty claims [1, 2, 3, 4]. Over the weekend before May 26, Taiwan’s coast guard also faced off with a Chinese coast guard ship near the strategically vital Pratas Islands in the South China Sea [1].
On May 23, Joseph Wu reported that China had deployed over 100 ships along the first island chain extending from Japan to the Philippines, with those vessels still in place as of late May [2, 3]. This buildup occurs amid heightened tensions following President Lai Ching-te’s second anniversary in office on May 20. China labeled Lai a separatist and rejected his offers for talks [1].
Earlier in May, Chinese leader Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing. Trump later said he might speak directly with Taiwan’s leader—a break in protocol since 1979—while the U.S. remains Taiwan’s largest weapons supplier [1, 2, 3, 4].
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry said it will continue closely tracking Chinese military activities around the island and the movements of the Liaoning carrier group in the days ahead [1, 2].
