TAIPEI — Taiwan deployed ships and fighter jets on Monday to monitor a second Chinese joint combat readiness patrol near the island in just one week, according to the Taiwanese defense ministry.
The latest activity involved 21 Chinese aircraft, including J-16 fighters and drones, operating around Taiwan along with warships, the ministry said in a statement late Monday. Officials described the maneuvers as part of an ongoing pattern of Chinese military pressure on the democratically governed island.
Pan Chun-kuang, from the ministry's intelligence department, told reporters in Taipei on Tuesday that the patrol had already concluded. Taiwan's forces continue to track the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, which is operating in the Western Pacific, he added.
National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu posted on X that the actions were unprovoked. "The PRC is the sole source of instability in the Indo-Pacific," Wu wrote, referring to the People's Republic of China.
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has stepped up military activity around the island in recent years. Taiwan's government rejects those claims and maintains its own armed forces to defend against potential threats.
The defense ministry released three photographs taken by its personnel. One image, captured from a Taiwanese F-16 jet, showed two Chinese fighters trailing a Y-20 aerial refueling aircraft. Another depicted the Chinese warship Yinchuan, while a third showed a Taiwanese sailor observing the same vessel through binoculars.
China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the patrol. Similar readiness patrols have become more frequent, with the previous one occurring last Tuesday, the day before Taiwan President Lai Ching-te marked his second year in office.
China has labeled Lai a separatist and declined his offers for talks. Over the weekend, Taiwan reported that its coast guard confronted a Chinese coast guard ship near the Pratas Islands, which Taipei controls in the South China Sea.
Wu also noted on social media that approximately 100 Chinese ships were active in the first island chain, an area stretching from Japan through Taiwan and into the Philippines.
Taipei remains on alert for further Chinese moves following discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing earlier this month that touched on Taiwan. The two sides have long held differing views on the island's status.
Chinese warships and warplanes now operate around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, according to Taiwanese officials. The recent patrols mark an escalation in what Taipei sees as efforts to intimidate the island without crossing into open conflict.
Regional analysts have noted that such activities test Taiwan's response capabilities and aim to normalize Chinese military presence in the area. Taiwanese forces have responded by increasing their own monitoring and readiness measures.
Officials in Taipei said they would continue to release details on Chinese activities as needed while maintaining vigilance over the Liaoning carrier group. The situation remains fluid, with both sides closely watching developments in the coming days.
Additional reporting contributed to this account from multiple locations in Taiwan.