PLA Pulls Back to 7 Sorties on Apr 27 — Sharp De-Escalation from 28-Sortie Peak; 6 Enter Northern/SW ADIZ; 9 PLAN Vessels Surge to New High; 17 Days to Trump-Xi Summit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 7 PLA aircraft sorties and 9 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan as of 06:00 local time on April 27, 2026 — a sharp 75% de-escalation in air sorties from the 28-sortie non-exercise peak of April 26, but with naval presence actually increasing by one vessel to 9 PLAN ships (the highest ship count since the April 20 Liaoning carrier transit at 12 vessels). Of the 7 sorties, 6 crossed Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone — entering Taiwan's northern and southwestern ADIZ sectors simultaneously. Taiwan's armed forces deployed combat air patrols, naval ships, and coastal missile systems in response. The April 27 pullback continues the PLA's established spike-then-pullback oscillating pattern seen throughout the pre-Trump-Xi summit pressure cycle: 24 sorties (Apr 21) → 6 sorties (Apr 22) → 15 sorties (Apr 23) → 2 sorties (Apr 24) → 8 sorties (Apr 25) → 28 sorties (Apr 26, new non-exercise peak) → 7 sorties (Apr 27). With 17 days to the Trump-Xi Beijing summit (May 14-15), the naval buildup to 9 PLAN vessels — the highest count since Liaoning's strait transit — signals PLA is sustaining elevated maritime presence even as it temporarily reduces air sorties. Analysts assess the dual-track pattern reflects PLA calibrating visible air pressure while maintaining persistent strategic maritime posture ahead of the summit.