Taiwan tracks 13 Chinese military aircraft, 6 naval ships around nation

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

The Ministry of National Defense (MND) tracked 13 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels around Taiwan between 6 a.m. on Sunday (July 30) and 6 a.m. on Monday (July 31).

Of the 13 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, four Shenyang J-11 combat jets and two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets crossed the Taiwan Strait median line in Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), according to the MND. In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, naval ships, and used land-based missile systems to monitor PLA activity.

So far this month, Beijing has sent 424 military aircraft and 170 naval ship sorties 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.”