Taiwan detects eight Chinese naval ships, six military aircraft around nation

Taipei , March 25 (ANI): The Taiwan Ministry of National Defence (MND) said that it detected eight Chinese naval vessels and six Chinese military aircraft operating around the nation from 6 am (local time) on Saturday to 6 am (local time) on Sunday.

According to Taiwan's MND, one of the PLA aircraft entered Taiwan's Southwest Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). Taiwan's armed forces have monitored the situation and deployed appropriate forces to respond.
In a statement, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence stated, "6 PLA aircraft and 8 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 1 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's southwestern ADIZ. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities."

On March 23, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defence (MND) said it detected 13 Chinese military aircraft and six navy vessels operating in the region.This surge follows the previous day's detection of 36 Chinese aircraft and six naval vessels.

According to the MND, the vessels and military aircraft were detected between Friday 6 am and Saturday 6 am (local time).

"13 PLA aircraft and 6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. (UTC+8) today. 4 of the aircraft entered Taiwan's SW ADIZ. #ROCArmedForces have monitored the situation and employed appropriate forces to respond," MND said in a post on X.
Since September 2020, China has intensified its use of gray zone tactics by increasing the number of military aircraft and naval ships operating around Taiwan, Taiwan News reported.

Notably, Gray zone tactics are described 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." (ANI)