TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 18 Chinese military aircraft and four naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Friday (May 17) and the same time Saturday (May 18). 

Of the 18 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 12 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest corner of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity. 

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 234 times and naval vessels 92 times. 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.”