The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 10 Chinese military aircraft and two naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Thursday (June 1) and 6 a.m. on Friday (June 2).
Of the 10 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, two were tracked in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. One BZK-005 reconnaissance drone crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the southwest corner of the ADIZ, while one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane entered the southwest sector of the zone.
In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor PLA activity. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by incrementally increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships 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.”