Taipei [Taiwan], March 20 : The Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (MND) has reportedly tracked 15 Chinese military aircraft and 10 naval vessels across Taiwan, between 6 am on Tuesday (March 19) and 6 am on Wednesday (March 20), Taiwan News reported. Among the 15 People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, six entered the southwest corner of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. However, no PLA aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait median line at that time, as reported by Taiwan News. Responding to that, Taiwan sent aircraft and naval ships and deployed air defence missile systems to monitor the PLA activity.
Reportedly, this month, Taiwan has tracked Chinese military aircraft 209 times and naval vessels 133 times. 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." Earlier, Taiwan's MND reported the tracking of ten Chinese naval vessels and nine military aircraft in the vicinity of Taiwan between 6 am on Monday and 6 am on Tuesday. 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. In a similar incident reported by the Taiwan Ministry of National Defense (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). Out of 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 MND stated.
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