Taiwan detected 20 Chinese military aircraft and 6 naval ships hovering around it

According to Taiwan News, according to a statement from the MND, the Chinese aircraft and ships were spotted from 6 a.m. Tuesday to 6 p.m. Wednesday.

According to Taiwan's MND, 13 of the 20 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait and entered the north central, southwestern and eastern sectors of the country's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

According to Taiwan News, Taiwan responded by sending aircraft and naval ships and deploying coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA movements.

This month alone, the MND has so far tracked Chinese military aircraft 388 times and naval ships 119 times.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships around Taiwan, Taiwan News reports.

Grey zone tactics are defined as “an effort, or series of efforts, beyond static-deterrence and assurance, that attempts to achieve one's security objectives without the direct and large-scale use of force.”

On Tuesday, Taiwan's ministry reported a significant increase in China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) activity near its airspace, with a total of 18 PLA aircraft, 6 People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships and 1 official ship seen as of 6 am (UTC+8).

According to an official statement released on Tuesday, eight of the detected aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones (ADIZ), violating the median line that usually separates Taiwanese and Chinese-controlled airspace.

This incursion represents a significant escalation in cross-Strait tensions, with Taiwan responding to PLA activities by taking appropriate measures to safeguard its territorial integrity and airspace.

In recent years, Taiwan has faced a wave of military maneuvers and provocations from Beijing, which views the island as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to bring it under Chinese control.

Taiwan has been governed independently from China since 1949. However, Beijing considers the island part of its territory and insists on its reunification, using force if necessary.