On April 18, 2026, the PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesperson announced that on that same day, the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched naval and air assets to conduct joint readiness patrols in relevant waters and airspace of the East China Sea. The announcement stated this was a routine arrangement organized in accordance with the annual plan, aiming at testing the joint operations capabilities. The announcement was made in both Chinese and English.

The fact that the Eastern Theater issued the announcement in English suggests the intent was to notify neighboring countries, and indicates this may have been a comparatively large-scale military operation. However, the Eastern Theater did not specify the names and numbers of vessels involved, and as of April 19, media reporting has done little more than quote the Eastern Theater's announcement — no imagery was shown even in CCTV news programs.

According to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND), 6 PLA Navy (PLAN) vessels were operating in waters around Taiwan on April 18, with the possibility that additional vessels were deployed in waters beyond the immediate Taiwan periphery. On April 20, Taiwan's MND stated that as of 06:00 that morning, 11 PLAN vessels were deployed around Taiwan.

On the same day, Japan's Joint Staff of the Self-Defense Forces announced: " At around 11:00 a.m., Sunday, April 19, 2026, JMSDF spotted PLAN Luyang-III-class DDG x 1 (hull number 133) and Jiangkai-II-class FFG x 1 (hull number 577) sailing eastward in the waters approximately 60 km southwest of Yokoate-jima Island.." Whether this formation's operations were part of the PLA joint readiness patrol is unclear. Regarding these vessels, the Eastern Theater separately announced on the 19th that " On April 19, the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched vessel formation 133 to transit Yokoate Waterway and conduct training in the Western Pacific, in order to test the far-seas operations capabilities of forces."

On April 10, 2026, Reuters reported that two Taiwanese defense officials told Reuters that China deployed approximately 100 naval and coast guard vessels in and around the South China Sea and East China Sea that week. The report continued saying that one official said China normally deploys around 50–60 vessels in the region, and that the increase over recent weeks was 'extremely unusual.' At that time, neither China's MND nor the Eastern Theater released any related information.

The scope, composition, and intent of this patrol have yet to be established, and further monitoring is necessary.

DEEP DIVE Breaking News 029 PLA Eastern Theater Command Joint Readiness Patrol (Updated April 20, 2026)