TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 29 Chinese military planes, six Naval vessels, and five ships between 6 a.m. on Friday and the same time Saturday.
In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems. Seventeen People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the country’s northern, central, and southwestern air defense identification zones, according to the ministry.
So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 200 times and ships 264 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.”
