Taiwan tracks 7 Chinese military aircraft, 5 naval ships, 1 balloon around nation

Taipei [Taiwan], February 17 : Taiwan has detected seven Chinese military aircraft, five naval ships, and one balloon around the country in the last 24 hours till 6 am on Saturday, according to Taiwan News.

The Ministry of National Defence of Taiwan said that seven People's Liberation Army (PLA) fighter planes had been spotted in the Taiwan Strait. However, there was no indication that anyone had entered the air defence identification zone (ADIZ) or crossed the median line.

The ministry stated that it was monitoring the situation using its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance apparatus.

In response, it scrambled combat patrol planes, launched navy ships, and deployed land-based air defence missile systems, reported Taiwan News.

In addition, the ministry stated a Chinese balloon was spotted in the ADIZ at 1:41 am on Friday, 144 km (78 NM) northwest of Keelung City at a height of 6,096 metres.

The balloon flew easterly to the north of Taiwan, vanishing around 2:33 am on Friday, just after leaving the ADIZ's northern section, as per Taiwan News.

Thus far in February, the ministry has spotted 123 Chinese military planes and 77 naval vessels. Since September 2020, Beijing has increasingly used "grey zone tactics," such as deploying military aircraft and naval vessels across the middle line and into Taiwan's ADIZ.

The US think tank, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), defines "grey zone tactics" 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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