TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 36 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Tuesday and 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The MND said 33 of the 36 People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, eastern, and southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Four fighter jets were detected in the northern sector of the ADIZ, 15 fighters crossed the median line, 13 fighters were tracked in the southwest sector, and one helicopter was reported in the eastern sector.

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 289 times and ships 125 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."