Taiwan detects 12 military aircraft and 9 Chinese warships around its territory

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Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense spotted 12 military aircraft, six warships and three official ships belonging to China between 6 a.m. yesterday, Saturday, and 6 a.m. Sunday.

The ministry added that in response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, warships and coastal missile systems, and five People's Liberation Army aircraft crossed the center line of the Taiwan Strait in the country's southwestern air defense identification zone, Taiwan News reported on Sunday.

So far this month, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense has spotted Chinese aircraft 63 times and ships 116 times. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by gradually increasing the number of military aircraft and warships operating around Taiwan.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies defines gray zone tactics as “an effort or series of efforts that go beyond established deterrence and ensure the achievement of a state's security objectives without resorting to the direct and massive use of force.”