TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 15 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Wednesday (Jan. 11) and 6 a.m. on Thursday (Jan. 12).

Of the 15 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six were monitored in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. Two Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets and one TB-001 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northeast sector of Taiwan’s ADIZ, while two Chengdu J-10 fighter jets crossed the median line in the southwest portion of the zone.

Meanwhile, one Shaanxi Y-8 antisubmarine warfare plane was spotted in the southwest corner of the identification zone. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 191 military aircraft and 40 naval ships around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense 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 path of six out of 15 PLA aircraft. (MND image)