TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Monday and 6 a.m. on Tuesday.

Five of the 10 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. One Chinese balloon was also tracked to the north of Taiwan.  

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 131 times and ships 88 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.”