TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 20 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (May 9) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (May 10).

Of the 20 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 15 were tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time.

One Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane, one KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft, and one Guizhou WZ-7 reconnaissance drone were monitored in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ. Meanwhile, five Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and five Xian H-6 bombers either entered the southwest sector or flew along the southern portion of the 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 87 military aircraft and 27 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 15 out of 20 PLA aircraft. (MND image)