TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked two Chinese military craft, five naval vessels, and two official ships between 6 a.m. on Wednesday and the same time Thursday. 

The defense ministry reported both sorties entered Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zones, or ADIZ. In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems to monitor Chinese activity.

So far this month, the defense ministry has tracked Chinese military aircraft 228 times and ships 244 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.”