TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The defense ministry detected six Chinese military aircraft, seven naval vessels, and two official ships around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday.

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

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese aircraft 359 times and ships 196 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.”