PLA Sorties Fall to 2 as Xi Departs Washington After Three-Day State Visit

Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense detected 2 PLA aircraft sorties, 6 PLAN vessels and 5 official ships operating around Taiwan in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. (UTC+8) September 25, 2026; 1 of the 2 sorties crossed the Taiwan Strait median line into the eastern ADIZ. Taiwan's armed forces responded with CAP aircraft, navy ships and coastal missile systems. The sharp drop from 10 sorties on Sept 23-24 came as Xi Jinping concluded his three-day Washington state visit and departed, following the previous two days' elevated activity that coincided with his arrival and formal talks with President Trump.