TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 12 Chinese military aircraft, seven naval ships, and one official ship around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (July 21) and 6 a.m. on Monday (July 22). 

Of the 12 People’s Liberation Army aircraft, five crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s northern and southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. One of the five aircraft, a Chinese drone, flew around Taiwan. 

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity. 

So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 481 times and ships 159 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels 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.”