TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 53 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval ships around Taiwan as of 5 p.m. on Thursday (Sept. 1).
Out of the 53 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 14 crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait in the southwest sector of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), including 10 Shenyang J-11 fighter jets and four Xian JH-7 fighter bombers, according to the MND.
Meanwhile, five Shenyang J-16 jet fighters, two Xian H-6 bombers, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, and one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control plane were monitored in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
In response, Taiwan sent combat patrol aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missile systems to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels, in addition to broadcasting radio warnings.
Beijing has sent its aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ every day in August. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s identification zone.
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 23 out of 53 Chinese aircraft on Sept. 1. (MND image)
