TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked four Chinese naval vessels and four military aircraft around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (Dec. 31) and the same time on New Year's Day.

Of the three People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. No PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line during that time.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 285 military aircraft and 167 naval ships 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.”

Here's a GIF from Damien Symon (@detresfa_) on X (formerly Twitter) that looks at China’s flight incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone over 2023.

As the year wraps up, here's a visual showcasing #China's PLA flight incursions into #Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone through 2023, over 1,700 flight tracks were published by Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense this year pic.twitter.com/UIC1RnrJwh

— Damien Symon (@detresfa_) December 31, 2023