TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked five Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and five official ships between 6 a.m. on Friday and the same time Saturday.
One of the aircraft crossed the median line of the strait and reportedly entered the nation’s southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ. In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 134 times and ships 217 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.”
