TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (Jan. 12) and the same time on Saturday (Jan. 13) — the date for Taiwan’s presidential election.

Of the eight People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’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.

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.”



(MND photo)