The Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND) has reported tracking nine Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships around Taiwan from 6 am on Sunday (March 17) to the same time on Monday (March 18), as per Taiwan News.
Among the nine People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Chinese drone breached the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the southwest corner of the country’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), stated the Ministry of National Defence. Additionally, two other planes ventured into the southwest sector of the ADIZ, according to Taiwan News.
In response, Taiwan dispatched aircraft and naval vessels while deploying air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA’s activities. This month alone, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 185 times and naval vessels 113 times.
On March 16, the MND observed 10 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels encircling Taiwan from 6 am on Friday (March 15) to the same time on Saturday (March 16), as detailed by Taiwan News. Among the 10 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six entered the southwest and eastern sectors of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND.
Since September 2020, China has escalated its utilization of gray zone tactics by significantly increasing the presence of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan. Gray zone tactics are described as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and substantial use of force,” as per Taiwan News.
