TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The defense ministry reported seven Chinese military aircraft and five vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday and Friday.

Five of the aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered the country’s northern and southwestern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor Chinese activity.

For January, Taiwan tracked Chinese military aircraft 339 times and ships 194 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan. 

CSIS defines gray zone tactics 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.”