TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday (April 24) and 6 a.m. on Thursday (April 25). 

Of the 10 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, and three entered the southwest corner of the country’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 PLA activity. 

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 217 times and naval vessels 150 times. Since September 2020, China has upped 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.”