Taiwan tracked 13 Chinese military aircraft and three naval vessels around the country between 6 am on Sunday and 6 am on Monday, reported Taiwan News.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that 13 People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and three People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had been tracked around Taiwan. One of the detected aircraft entered the southeast section of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ), reported Taiwan News.
Harbin Z-9 anti-submarine warfare helicopter was tracked in the southeast sector of ADIZ.The MND said it monitored the situation and responded by scrambling combat patrol aircraft, dispatching naval vessels, and deploying land-based air defence missile systems, reported Taiwan News.According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, grey zone tactics are “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.”Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ.
It is worth mentioning Taiwan split with China in 1949 after a civil war. The ruling Communist Party says the island is obliged to rejoin the mainland, by force if necessary. Beijing says contact with foreign officials encourages Taiwanese who want formal independence, a step the ruling party says would lead to war. Tensions between China and Taiwan escalated after the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi travelled to the breakaway country in August last year. China raised objections to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory.
So far in March, Beijing has sent 325 military aircraft and 101 naval vessels around Taiwan. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, reported Taiwan News.
