TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked 48 Chinese military aircraft, nine naval vessels, and one official ship around Taiwan between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday.

The ministry said 36 of the 48 People’s Liberation Army aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s northern, southwestern, and eastern air defense identification zone, or ADIZ.

Two dozen fighter jets were detected along the median line. In the southwestern sector of the ADIZ, 23 fighters were tracked, while one helicopter appeared in the eastern zone.

The ministry monitored the situation, dispatched aircraft and naval vessels, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems in response.

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 437 times and ships 183 times. Since September 2020, Beijing has increased its use of “gray zone tactics” by operating military aircraft and naval vessels around Taiwan.

According to CSIS, gray zone tactics are “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and sizable use of force.”