TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Ministry of National Defense tracked five Chinese naval vessels, one official ship, and one balloon around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday and 6 a.m. on Sunday.

The balloon was detected near the median line before disappearing southwest of Taichung, according to the MND. Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and coastal-based missile systems to monitor the PLA activity. 

So far this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 5 times and ships 20 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.”