Taiwan reported the second “joint combat readiness patrol” by China in a week and said its military had responded to the situation.
Published May 26, 2026
Taiwan said it was monitoring China’s second “joint combat readiness patrol” in a week near the island, accusing China of being the sole cause of instability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a post on X on Tuesday that Taiwan’s military responded to the situation.
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The comments came after President Donald Trump met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this month and the two leaders discussed Taiwan.
China claims the autonomous island as part of its territory. Taiwan rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that 29 Chinese aircraft, including fighter jets, and seven warships were spotted sailing around the island. The ministry reported that 24 of the air sorties crossed the Median Line, an unofficial maritime and air buffer zone that runs through the center of the Taiwan Strait.
There was no immediate comment from the Chinese government, which does not recognize the border.
Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu accused China of being the only source of instability in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Shortly after the Beijing summit, for the second time in a week, the People’s Liberation Army conducted a ‘joint combat readiness patrol’ around Taiwan. We also spotted the Liaoning aircraft carrier group in the Western Pacific. This is baseless. China is the only source of instability in the Indo-Pacific,” he wrote in X.
Wu said Saturday that China has more than 100 ships deployed up and down the first island chain, from Japan to Taiwan and the Philippines.
Earlier this month, President Xi warned President Trump that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to conflict between the two countries over the island. Since then, President Trump has warned Taipei against formally declaring independence from China, issuing a statement saying that Taipei plans to maintain the status quo despite being “sovereign and independent.”
President Trump recently said he would speak directly to Taiwan’s leaders, which would be a significant departure from U.S. practice. The leaders of the United States and Taiwan have not spoken directly since 1979, when the United States and China formally established diplomatic relations.
The United States is Taiwan’s largest supplier of arms and is required by law to provide the island with means of self-defense. In December, President Trump approved the largest U.S. arms package ever for allies.
But last week, the US government announced it would suspend $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan to conserve munitions for the war against Iran.
