According to Taiwan News, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military and seven naval vessels around Taiwan in the past 24 hours as of 6 a.m. Monday.
Thirteen of the 14 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait in the northern, central, southwestern and southeastern parts of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan News quoted the Ministry of National Defence as saying.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships to monitor PLA movements and deployed coastal missile systems.
So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 160 times and naval ships 52 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan.
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 Sunday, MND found that 15 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval ships were spotted around Taiwan in the past 24 hours till 6 am (local time).
In response to China's actions, Taiwan's armed forces used aircraft, naval ships and coastal missile systems to monitor Beijing's activities. “As of 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today, 15 PLA aircraft and 10 PLAN ships were spotted around Taiwan. 14 aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's central, southwestern and southeastern ADIZ. We have monitored the situation and taken action accordingly,” Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a post on X.
The latest incident is among a series of provocations by China in recent months. Beijing has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) and military exercises near the island.
