Taipei [Taiwan], March 22 : Taiwan on Friday detected 36 Chinese aircraft and six People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels operating around Taiwan within 24 hours, the highest number ever detected, Taiwan Ministry of Defence said. In a post on X, the Taiwan Ministry of Defence said, "36 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 13 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's northern and SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond."
This comes after Taiwan detected 32 Chinese aircraft within 24 hours, until 6 am (local time) on Thursday. The Ministry said that thirteen of the aircraft entered Taiwan's Northern and Southwest Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). "32 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 20 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's SW, SE, and Eastern ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," the Taiwan Defence Ministry posted on X on Thursday morning.
Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by gradually increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan, according to Taiwan News. 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 resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
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