TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 13 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (Nov. 17) and the same time on Saturday (Nov. 18).

Of the 13 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Shaanxi Y-8 antisubmarine warfare plane and one Shaanxi KJ-500 entered the southwest corner 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 201 military aircraft and 102 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 paths of aircraft. (MND graphic)