PLA Sorties Rebound to 8 on April 25 — 7 PLAN Vessels Stable; Oscillating Pattern Continues 19 Days Before Trump-Xi Summit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 8 PLA aircraft sorties and 7 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan as of 06:00 local time on April 25, 2026 — a moderate rebound from the 2-sortie post-anniversary lull of April 24. The April 25 uptick continues the PLA's established oscillating pressure pattern in the pre-summit period: Liaoning carrier transit April 20 (5 sorties, 12 PLAN vessels) → 24-sortie surge April 21 (highest non-exercise count since Justice Mission-2025, Dec 2025) → 6-sortie pullback April 22 → 15-sortie PLA Navy 77th anniversary spike April 23 → 2-sortie post-anniversary lull April 24 → 8-sortie moderate rebound April 25. The 7 PLAN vessels remain stable from April 24, maintaining the elevated naval posture that has persisted since the Liaoning carrier transit. Taiwan's armed forces deployed combat air patrols, naval ships, and coastal missile systems in response. The rebound to 8 sorties on April 25 indicates the 2-sortie reading of April 24 was a single-day post-anniversary lull rather than a trend toward sustained de-escalation — consistent with PLA's dual-track pre-summit strategy of maintaining persistent military pressure while calibrating against major spikes that could create diplomatic liability ahead of the May 14-15 Trump-Xi Beijing summit. Analysts note the 19-day window to the summit is the highest-stakes pre-summit interval: PLA must balance continued pressure signaling against the risk of triggering congressional or White House responses that could complicate Xi Jinping's diplomatic agenda. The oscillating 2→8 sortie arc (Apr 24-25) sits well below the Liaoning/post-Liaoning surge peaks, suggesting PLA has entered a sustained moderate-pressure phase for the final three weeks before the summit.