TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 58 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and one official ship around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Wednesday and 6 a.m. on Thursday. 

Forty-five of the 58 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the nation’s northern, central, southwestern, and eastern air defense identification zone, according to the MND. 

In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft and naval ships, as well as coastal-based missile systems, to monitor PLA activity. 

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 341 times and ships 134 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.”