TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 11 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Monday (Nov. 13) and 6 a.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 14).
Of the 11 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four were tracked in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), including two Chengdu J-10 combat jets, one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic intelligence plane, according to the MND.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed land-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 156 military aircraft and 79 naval ships around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.
Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”
Flight paths of four out of 11 PLA aircraft. (MND image)
