TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 17 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels around the country between 6 a.m. on Friday (April 28) and 6 a.m. on Saturday (April 29).

The MND monitored the situation and responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defense missile systems.

The ministry said 13 of the detected aircraft, including one J-16 fighter, two SU-30 fighters, one BZK-005 reconnaissance UAV, one Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) aircraft, six J-10 fighters, and two KA-28 ASW aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ. The previous day, the MND announced that a Chinese combat drone appeared to take a flight that circled the nation.

According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gray zone tactics are “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.”

Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is shown here compared with the ADIZ of other nearby countries.



(DW photo)