Taiwan follows 8 Chinese military planes and 11 navy vessels as they travel the country.

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked eight Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Saturday (May 27) and 6 a.m. on Sunday (May 28).

Of the eight People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in the northeast sector of the country’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), including two Sukhoi Su-30 combat jets and two Chengdu J-10 jet fighters, according to the MND. One Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare plane also was monitored in the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ.

In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missiles to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 304 military aircraft and 131 naval vessels around Taiwan. 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.”