TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 37 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

The ministry said 26 of the 37 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the country’s northern, central, and southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ. One fighter jet was detected in the northern sector, while 22 aircraft, including fighters and drones, crossed the median line into the central zone, and four entered the southwest sector.

Taiwan's military responded by monitoring the situation, dispatching aircraft and naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defense missile systems.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked PLA military aircraft 539 times and Chinese naval vessels 237 times. Since September 2020, Beijing has stepped up its use of so-called “gray zone tactics,” which involve operating military assets near Taiwan without engaging in direct conflict. 

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.”