TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (Nov. 14) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 15).

Of the eight People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter entered the southeast sector of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed land-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 166 military aircraft and 87 naval ships 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 path of one out of eight PLA aircraft. (MND image)