TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (April 16) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (April 17). 

Of the 10 People’s Liberation Army aircraft, two crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, while two entered the southwest corner of the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. 

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

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 146 times and naval vessels 105 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.”