TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked nine Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels around Taiwan up to 6 a.m. on Saturday (Sept. 16).

There was no trace of PLA aircraft crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan’s southwestern air defense identification zone (ADIZ) at this time, according to the MND. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and used land-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 199 military aircraft and 109 naval ship sorties around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships 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.”