Taiwan spotted 11 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval ships near its territory

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has tracked 11 Chinese military aircraft and eight naval ships around the island nation during the past 24 hours as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, Taiwan News reports.

According to the MND, seven of the 11 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait into the northern and southwestern sectors of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), while one PLA helicopter was tracked in the southeastern ADIZ.

Taiwan responded by sending aircraft and naval ships and deploying coastal-based missile systems to monitor PLA movements, Taiwan News reported.

So far this month, Taiwan has detected Chinese military aircraft 209 times and naval/coast guard ships 163 times.

Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships around Taiwan, Taiwan News reports.

Grey zone tactics are defined as “an effort, or series of efforts, beyond static-deterrence and reassurance, that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without the direct and massive use of force.”

This latest incident is among a series of similar provocations by China in recent months. China has increased its military activities around Taiwan, including regular aerial and naval incursions into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Taiwan has long been a contentious issue in Chinese foreign policy. China continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it part of its territory and insists on its reunification, if necessary by force.