Taipei [Taiwan], March 19 : Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence reported the tracking of ten Chinese naval vessels and nine military aircraft in the vicinity of Taiwan between 6 am on Monday (March 18) and 6 am on Tuesday (March 19), Taiwan News reported.
Among the nine People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Chinese drone breached Taiwan's air defence identification zone (ADIZ) in the southwest, while a PLA helicopter was monitored in the southeast sector of the ADIZ. In response, Taiwan deployed aircraft, naval ships, and air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA's activities.
According to Taiwan News, this month alone, Taiwan has reported Chinese military aircraft entering its airspace 194 times and naval vessels encroaching its waters 123 times.
Since September 2020, China has escalated its use of grey zone tactics, gradually increasing the presence of military aircraft and naval ships near Taiwan.
Grey 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, "as per Taiwan News.
In a similar incident reported by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND), nine Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships were tracked around Taiwan from 6 am on Sunday (March 17) to the same time on Monday (March 18).
Among the nine People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, one Chinese drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered the southwest corner of the country's air defence identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defence said.
Moreover, two other planes also flew into the southwest sector of the ADIZ.
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