PLA Posts 8 Sorties on May 9 — All 8 Cross Median Line Into C/SW/E ADIZ; 6 PLAN Vessels + 2 Official Ships; 5 Days to Trump-Xi Summit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported 8 PLA aircraft sorties in its daily 06:00 local time snapshot on May 9, 2026, with all 8 sorties crossing the Taiwan Strait median line and entering Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone in the central, southwestern, and eastern sectors. 6 PLAN vessels and 2 official ships continued operating around Taiwan. The May 9 sortie count represents a significant de-escalation from May 8's 12 sorties and May 7's 22-sortie surge, though all 8 crossing the median line maintains PLA's established pattern of consistent median-line violations. The May pre-summit sortie sequence: 4 (May 1) → 29 record (May 2) → 1 (May 3) → 2 (May 4) → 1 (May 5) → 0 (May 6) → 22 (May 7) → 12 (May 8) → 8 (May 9). ROC Armed Forces monitored the situation and responded by dispatching combat air patrol aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems. Five days remain before President Trump travels to Beijing for the May 14-15 Trump-Xi summit, where Taiwan tops Xi Jinping's agenda.