TAIWAN TRACKS SECOND CHINESE COMBAT PATROL IN A WEEK

Taiwan sent ships and fighter jets to monitor a second Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island within a week, according to Reuters. Taiwan’s defence ministry said late Monday that it detected 21 Chinese aircraft, including J-16 fighters and drones, operating around Taiwan alongside Chinese warships.

The patrol adds to a pattern of increased Chinese military activity around Taiwan. China views Taiwan as its own territory, while Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claim and says only Taiwan’s people can decide the island’s future. Beijing’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the latest patrol.

Taiwan’s defence ministry released images taken by its forces, including Chinese fighters near a Y-20 aerial refuelling aircraft, the Chinese warship Yinchuan, and a Taiwanese sailor monitoring the vessel. The ministry said the Chinese patrol had ended by Tuesday, according to reporting carried by The Straits Times from Reuters.

Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu described the patrol as “unprovoked” and said Beijing is the main source of instability in the Indo-Pacific, according to Reuters and Al Jazeera. Taiwan has continued tracking Chinese naval movements, including the Liaoning aircraft carrier group in the western Pacific.

The patrol followed a separate maritime standoff near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, where Reuters reported that a Chinese coast guard vessel entered nearby waters before leaving after warnings from Taiwan’s coast guard. Taiwan also reported the recent presence of a Chinese research vessel and reconnaissance drone near the islands.

The latest activity matters because Chinese patrols around Taiwan are no longer rare events. They have become part of a steady pressure campaign involving aircraft, naval vessels, coast guard ships, drones, and information signaling. For Taiwan, the challenge is tracking and responding without allowing routine pressure to become normalized or accidental escalation to spiral.

For the wider region, the concern is that repeated patrols can compress decision time, raise the chance of close encounters, and test the ability of Taiwan, China, the United States, and regional partners to manage military movement in crowded air and maritime space. The immediate situation has passed, but the pattern remains active.

Fact-check date: 26 May 2026
Sources: Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Straits Times

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