TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Beijing has intensified its gray zone tactics against Taiwan over the past five years, according to a Wall Street Journal report analyzing Chinese satellite, ship-movement, and flight-tracking data.

The WSJ report first highlighted increased military air activity in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Chinese aircraft incursions rose from 972 in 2021 to 3,000 in 2024.

While such incursions would have made headlines a few years ago, the report noted that they have now become an almost daily occurrence. The sorties have increased in number, frequency, and scope, expanding in all directions around Taiwan since 2023, rather than being concentrated in the southwest.

Beyond airspace, Beijing has deployed coast guard ships, warships, research vessels, and fishing fleets in waters around Taiwan to further complicate its security environment. The report also highlighted the use of drones and dozens of high-altitude balloons, which Taiwan’s defense ministry has classified as gray zone tactics.

The report said Beijing has escalated military exercises at key moments to pressure and warn Taipei that "capitulation would be better than conflict." For example, following former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit in 2022, China launched 446 sorties into Taiwan’s ADIZ and simulated a blockade of the island.

According to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Director Bonny Lin, China could enforce a quarantine on Taiwan instead of resorting to war or a full blockade. This strategy could involve restricting air and maritime traffic while conducting major military exercises, Lin said.

Beyond Taiwan, the report also outlined China’s gray zone tactics in the South China Sea and the Himalayas. In the South China Sea, China has transformed reefs into artificial islands, gradually militarizing them. In the Himalayas, Beijing has constructed village settlements along disputed borders with India and Bhutan.