TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The defense ministry detected one PLA helicopter and six naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday.

The helicopter did not cross the median line of the Taiwan Strait, but it did enter the nation’s eastern air defense identification zone, per the MND. Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor Chinese activity.

Last month, Taiwan tracked Chinese military aircraft 269 times and ships 214 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. 

CSIS defines gray zone tactics 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.”