Taipei [Taiwan], July 8: Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 14 Chinese military and seven naval vessels around Taiwan in the last 24 hours till 6 am on Monday, the Taiwan News reported. Of the 14 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, 13 crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northern, central, southwestern, and southeastern portions of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Taiwan News reported, quoting the Ministry of National Defense. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity. So far this month, the MND has tracked Chinese military aircraft 160 times and naval ships 52 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. "On Sunday, the MND detected 15 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels have been detected around Taiwan in the past 24 hours till 6 am (local time). In response to China's action, Taiwan's armed forces employed aircraft, naval vessels and coastal missile systems to monitor Beijing's activities.
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In a post on X, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence stated, "15 PLA aircraft and 10 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 14 of the aircraft crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's central, southwestern, and southeastern ADIZ. We've monitored the situation and responded accordingly." This latest incident adds to a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. Beijing has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular air and naval incursions into Taiwan's Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) and military exercises near the island.
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