TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 12 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday (Dec. 14) and 6 a.m. on Friday (Dec. 15).

Of the 12 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one BZK-005 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), while one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane was tracked in the southwest sector of the ADIZ, according to the MND.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 137 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 two out of 12 PLA aircraft. (MND image)