TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and two naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Monday (March 20) and 6 a.m. on Tuesday (March 21).
Of the 10 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, three were tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. One Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane and one Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, while one Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter was monitored in the southeast sector of the identification zone.
No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during this time. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and used land-based missiles to monitor the PLA aircraft and vessels.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 292 military aircraft and 76 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ.
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 three out of 10 PLA aircraft. (MND image)
