The Ministry of National Defense tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval vessels around Taiwan from 6 a.m. on Monday (December 25) to 6 a.m. on Tuesday (December 26).
Among the eight PLA aircraft, a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, a Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft, and a KJ-500 airborne early warning and control aircraft entered the southwest corner of Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), according to the Ministry of National Defense.
Taiwan has responded by sending aircraft and naval ships and deploying air defense missile systems to track the People’s Liberation Army’s activities.
The Defense Ministry also tracked a Chinese balloon that crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait at 10:30 pm on Monday, about 122 kilometers (66 nautical miles) northwest of Keelung and at an altitude of about 7,900 meters (26,000 feet). It moved eastward and disappeared at 12:27 p.m. Tuesday.
So far this month, Beijing has sent 230 military aircraft and 142 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by gradually increasing the number of military aircraft and naval vessels operating around Taiwan.
Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts that go beyond steady-state deterrence and reassurance in an attempt to achieve one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and large-scale use of force.”
