TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked seven official Chinese ships, six naval vessels, and two military helicopters around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday.
The two People’s Liberation Army helicopters entered the country’s eastern air defense identification zone, according to the MND.
In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 92 times and ships 97 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.”
