TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked seven Chinese naval vessels around Taiwan from Wednesday to Thursday (April 19-20).
From 6 a.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday, the MND said that seven People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had been tracked around Taiwan. However, no People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft had been detected during this period.
The MND responded by dispatching naval vessels and activating land-based missile systems. No maps of flight paths of the PLAAF aircraft have been provided as there was "no trace" of Chinese military planes crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan's southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, gray zone tactics are “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.”