Taiwan Reports Seeing 5 Navy Ships And 10 Chinese Planes Around Island

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has announced that it has spotted 10 Chinese military aircraft and five navy ships around the nation in the last 24 hours, up to 6 a.m. (local time) on Saturday.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence did not say whether the Chinese military aircraft entered China’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ). Following China’s action, Taiwan dispatched aircraft, navy ships, and air defence missile systems to monitor Chinese actions.

Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence stated, “10 PLA aircraft and 5 PLAN vessels were detected operating around Taiwan up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond”, through its official ‘X’ handle.

Since September 2020, China has increased the amount of military aircraft and navy ships operating around Taiwan, hence intensifying its use of grey zone tactics. Notably, the Chinese Communist Party claims Taiwan to be its territory, despite never having controlled it.

Tackling the grey zone is 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.

China has made similar moves in the past. On Friday, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) claimed that eight Chinese military aircraft and five naval ships were spotted operating outside Taiwan between 6 a.m. (local time) on Thursday and 6 a.m. (local time) on Friday.

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