PLA Sorties Uptick to 5; 4 Enter Taiwan's Southwestern ADIZ Ahead of JMSDF Transit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 5 PLA aircraft sorties and 6 PLAN vessels plus 3 official ships operating around Taiwan as of April 15, 2026. Four of the 5 sorties crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan's southwestern Air Defense Identification Zone — an uptick from 2 sorties the previous day. The increased sortie count and sustained multi-vessel naval presence (total 9 ships) signals continued elevated military pressure approximately 29 days before the scheduled Trump-Xi summit in Beijing (May 14–15). Taiwan's armed forces deployed combat air patrols, navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response. The April 15 activity came two days before Japan's JMSDF destroyer Ikazuchi made its landmark Taiwan Strait transit on April 17 — which would trigger China's East China Sea countermeasure on April 18.