Beijing's Biggest Show of Force Near Taiwan This Year Comes Two Weeks Before It Hosts APEC
Taiwan counted 49 Chinese military aircraft in a single day, the highest total of 2026, while China sends Taipei its summit invitation by email. Here is what the numbers show and why Washington should pay attention.
By Clara Hughes
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense reported on Tuesday that it had tracked 49 sorties by Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft around the island in the 24 hours from 6 a.m. Monday to 6 a.m. Tuesday, Taiwan time. The ministry also counted six PLA Navy ships and six other Chinese official vessels. Of the 49 aircraft, 31 crossed into the central, southwestern and eastern parts of Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), the ministry said. Taiwan responded by deploying combat air patrol aircraft, Navy vessels and coastal missile systems to monitor the activity. TaiwanPlus, the island's public English-language broadcaster, reported that it was the highest 24-hour total of 2026. It came just over two weeks before Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting in Shenzhen on Nov. 18–19, which President Trump is expected to attend. Keep reading with Altas Premium. Below: how Tuesday's count compares with the rest of 2026, the carrier group that has been at sea since mid-October, the quiet fight over how China invited Taiwan to its own summit, and what it all means