TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked five Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday (May 18) and 6 a.m. on Friday (May 19).

Of the five People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, two entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time.

One Guizhou WZ-7 reconnaissance drone was monitored in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, while one Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter was tracked in the southeast corner of the zone.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 198 military aircraft and 69 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.

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 two out of five PLA aircraft. (MND image)