TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked five Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (Dec. 1) and the same time the next day.

There was no trace of Chinese aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ) during this time. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor Chinese activity.

Last month, Beijing sent 362 military aircraft and 182 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.”