TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 24 Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 17) and 6 a.m. on Thursday (Jan. 18).
Of the 24 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 10 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, while four entered the northeast sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), and one was tracked in the southwest ADIZ, according to the MND. The MND said it detected Su-30 fighter jets, Shaanxi Y-8 planes, Chinese drones, and other PLA aircraft.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 162 Chinese military aircraft and 76 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.”(MND image)