PLA De-Escalates to 1 Sortie After 29-Sortie May 2 Record — Northern ADIZ Entry; Naval Count Rises to 7 Vessels + 3 Official Ships; 11 Days to Trump-Xi Summit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported a sharp de-escalation to just 1 PLA aircraft sortie and 7 PLAN vessels plus 3 official ships operating around Taiwan as of 06:00 local time on May 3, 2026 — a dramatic pullback from the record-setting 29-sortie surge of May 2. The single sortie crossed Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone, entering the northern ADIZ sector. The naval count of 7 PLAN vessels plus 3 official ships represents a slight increase from the 6 vessels of May 2, continuing PLA's pattern of temporarily reducing air sorties while sustaining elevated maritime presence. The May 3 de-escalation is consistent with PLA's established oscillating spike-then-pullback pattern throughout the pre-Trump-Xi summit period: 29 sorties (May 2, new non-exercise peak) → 1 sortie (May 3). This mirrors prior patterns: 28 sorties (Apr 26) → 7 (Apr 27); 24 sorties (Apr 21) → 6 (Apr 22); 19 sorties (Mar 29) → 1 (Mar 30). With 11 days remaining before the Trump-Xi Beijing summit (May 14-15), PLA appears to have executed its second escalation-withdrawal cycle of May, establishing the new non-exercise sortie record on May 2 before retreating to baseline activity on May 3. Taiwan deployed combat air patrols, naval ships, and coastal missile systems in response to May 3 PLA activity.