TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 33 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday (Jan. 31) and 6 a.m. on Thursday (Feb. 1).

Of the 33 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, eight crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, according to the MND. Meanwhile, six PLA aircraft entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), while three others were tracked in the northeast ADIZ.

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

Last month, the MND tracked 331 Chinese military aircraft and 142 naval ships. 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)