TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (March 29) and the same time Saturday (March 30). 

In response, Taiwan monitored People’s Liberation Army (PLA) activity and deployed appropriate forces, according to the MND. One PLA aircraft entered the country’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) during that time. 

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 355 times and naval vessels 198 times. 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.”