TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 45 Chinese military aircraft and six naval ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Tuesday (May 14) and 6 a.m. on Wednesday (May 15). 

Of the 45 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 26 aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest and northern sectors of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

The noticeable uptick in PLA aircraft on Tuesday comes five days ahead of Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) presidential inauguration on Monday (May 20).  

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 181 times and naval vessels 73 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.”