TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked eight Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and one official ship around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Monday and 6 a.m. Tuesday.

The MND said four of the eight People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Taiwan sent combat patrol aircraft and naval vessels and deployed land-based air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity. 

So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 253 times and ships 118 times. Since September 2020, Beijing has increased its use of "gray zone tactics" by operating military aircraft and naval ships around Taiwan.  

According to CSIS, gray zone tactics are “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and sizable use of force."