PLA Surges to 24 Sorties — Highest Non-Exercise Count in 2026 — Day After Liaoning Carrier Transit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 24 PLA aircraft sorties as of 0600 local time April 21, 2026 — the highest non-exercise daily sortie count since Justice Mission-2025 in December 2025, and more than 4× the 5 sorties recorded the previous day during the Liaoning carrier transit. Of the 24 sorties, 11 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defense Identification Zone sectors simultaneously — a multi-sector crossing pattern PLA uses to signal major escalation. Seven PLAN vessels and 1 official ship were also operating around Taiwan. Taiwan's armed forces deployed combat air patrols, navy ships, and coastal missile systems in response. China's Defense Ministry spokesman Zhang Xiaogang stated that strait activities are meant to 'safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity' and are 'completely legitimate, reasonable, and entirely justified.' The spike comes precisely 23 days before the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing (May 14-15) and one day after the aircraft carrier Liaoning (CV-16) transited the strait — a clear two-day PLA escalation operation combining high-visibility carrier signaling with record sortie activity to maximize pressure ahead of summit negotiations where Xi is expected to press Trump on US arms sales to Taiwan.