PLA 6 Sorties on May 22 — All Cross Median Line Into N/SW/E ADIZ; 10 PLAN Vessels — Highest Naval Count of Post-Summit Period

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 6 PLA aircraft sorties in the 24-hour window ending at 06:00 local time (UTC+8) on May 22, 2026 — a slight easing from 7 sorties on May 21 — but paired with a notable naval surge: 10 PLAN vessels operating simultaneously around Taiwan, the highest ship count since the Liaoning carrier transit on April 20 (12 vessels) and the highest of the entire post-Trump-Xi-summit period. All 6 PLA aircraft sorties crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, entering Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern ADIZ sectors — the same three-sector geometry as the May 19 surge (13 sorties, 10 crossing). Taiwan's ROC Armed Forces dispatched combat air patrol (CAP) aircraft, naval vessels, and coastal missile systems in response as standard procedure. The post-summit May sortie sequence now reads: 4→29→1→2→1→0→22→12→8→12→7→9→2→3→15→6→7→13→24→7→6. The elevated 10-vessel PLAN count is a significant signal: as air sortie levels moderate from the May 20 24-sortie spike, China appears to be shifting toward sustained maritime presence as a primary gray-zone pressure vector — particularly as the May 31 HIMARS payment deadline approaches (9 days away) and Taiwan's Legislative Yuan prepares for Finance Committee hearings on Monday May 25, with a floor vote expected Wednesday-Thursday May 27-28. The 10 PLAN vessels on May 22 exceed the 7 vessels seen on May 21 and are substantially above the 4-5 vessel baseline of the pre-surge post-summit period.