TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On the penultimate day of 2023 the Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked one satellite launch, seven Chinese military aircraft, and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (Dec. 29) and the same time the next day.
The MND posted on X: “Today, we detected a PRC satellite launch w/a carrier vehicle identifying it as belonging to #JSLC (from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, in northwestern Gansu Province). Poses no threat to us, but b/c flight path passes our NE ADIZ, flew toward the East China Sea and West Pacific Ocean. We noticed the activity and are ready to respond if necessary.”
There were no reports of the Chinese aircraft and naval vessels crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
So far this month, Beijing has sent 278 military aircraft and 159 naval ships around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by 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.”