TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 18 Chinese military aircraft and 13 naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (Aug 2) and the same time on Saturday.

Of the 18 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 13 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwestern and eastern sectors of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the defense ministry on X.

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

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.”