TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 36 Chinese military aircraft, eight naval vessels, and one balloon around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

The MND said 29 of the 36 People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Two out of six fighter jets and two drones entered the northern sector of the ADIZ, 12 out of 15 fighters and drones crossed the median line, 14 fighters were tracked in the southwest sector, and one helicopter was reported in the southeast sector.

In addition, one Chinese balloon was tracked moving northeast from the median line and crossing the contiguous zone boundary before disappearing. 

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 325 times and ships 133 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."