TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked six Chinese naval vessels and five military aircraft around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday and 6 a.m. on Friday. 

Four of the five People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the country’s southwestern air defense identification zone, according to the MND. The MND also tracked 11 Chinese balloons over and around the northern part of the nation. 

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

So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 50 times and ships 50 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. 

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.”