TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 32 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (Aug. 29) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (Aug. 30).
Of the 32 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 12 entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), including six Chengdu J-10 combat jets, two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, and one Harbin BZK-005 reconnaissance drone that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the MND. Two Shenyang J-16 jet planes and one Shaanxi Y-9 plane also flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor PLA activity.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 394 military aircraft and 199 naval ship sorties 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 12 out of 32 PLA aircraft. (MND image)
