Taipei [Taiwan], March 16 : The Ministry of National Defense (MND) monitored 10 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval vessels encircling Taiwan from 6 a.m. on Friday (March 15) to the same time on Saturday (March 16), as reported by Taiwan News.
Among the 10 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six entered the southwest and eastern sectors of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), as reported by the MND.
In response, Taiwan dispatched aircraft, naval vessels, and deployed air defense missile systems to oversee the PLA's activities, as per Taiwan News.
This recent surge in Chinese military presence marks a continuation of a concerning trend observed throughout the month as Taiwan has detected Chinese military aircraft on 172 occasions and naval vessels on 101 occasions.
According to Taiwan News, since September 2020, China has adopted a strategy of escalating gray zone tactics, gradually increasing the frequency of military aircraft and naval ships operating near 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 resorting to direct and sizable use of force."
On March 14, the Ministry of National Defence (MND) of Taiwan reported monitoring 26 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels encircling the nation from 6 am on March 13 to 6 am on March 14, Taiwan News reported.
Out of 26 Chinese military aircraft, seven breached the median of the Taiwan Strait, the country's Defence Ministry said on March 14
Following that, Taiwan dispatched aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the activities of Chinese military planes and naval vessels that encircled it, the defence ministry of the island country said on Thursday, as cited by Taiwan News.
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