Taiwan Scrambles Jets as China Conducts Second “Joint Combat Readiness Patrol” in a Week

Taiwan has deployed fighter jets, naval vessels and surveillance assets after detecting a second large‑scale Chinese “joint combat readiness patrol” around the island in just seven days.

Taipei said it remains on heightened alert as Beijing intensifies military pressure following President Xi Jinping’s recent discussions on Taiwan with US President Donald Trump in Beijing. China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, now operates warships and warplanes around the island almost daily activity Taiwan’s government firmly rejects as illegitimate.

Late Monday, Taiwan’s defence ministry reported 21 Chinese aircraft, including J‑16 fighters and drones, operating around the island alongside multiple warships. The ministry said the aircraft and vessels were participating in a coordinated “joint combat readiness patrol.”

To counter the manoeuvres, Taiwan dispatched its own ships and F‑16 fighter jets, releasing photos showing two Chinese fighters trailing a Y‑20 refuelling aircraft, as well as images of the Chinese warship Yinchuan being monitored by Taiwanese sailors.

Pan Chun‑kuang, from the ministry’s intelligence department, told reporters on Tuesday that the latest patrol had ended, but Taiwan continues to track the movements of China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning in the Western Pacific. He said more details on Chinese activity would be released when necessary.

The patrol follows a similar operation last Tuesday one day before Taiwan’s President Lai Ching‑te marked his second year in office. Beijing labels Lai a “separatist” and has repeatedly rejected his offers for dialogue.

Tensions also flared over the weekend when Taiwan’s coast guard confronted a Chinese coast guard vessel near the Taiwan‑controlled Pratas Islands, a strategically important location at the northern edge of the South China Sea.

Adding to concerns, Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary‑General Joseph Wu said on social media that 100 Chinese ships were currently operating within the first island chain, a key strategic zone stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines.