TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 11 Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday and 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Five of the 11 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the nation’s northern and southwestern air defense identification zone, according to the MND. Two Chinese balloons were also tracked, one north of Taiwan and one that floated over the southern part of the country.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 95 times and ships 61 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.”
