Taipei, Taiwan: The Ministry of National Defence in Taiwan has detected a squadron of 10 Chinese military aircraft and six naval vessels surrounding the nation between 6 o’clock in the morning on Sunday and 6 o’clock in the morning on Monday, as per a report from Taiwan News.

Of the 10 Chinese aircraft, eight transgressed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, according to the Ministry of Defence. In response, Taiwan dispatched aircraft and naval vessels while also activating air defense missile systems to observe the activity of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Since the month of September in the year 2020, China has escalated its utilization of gray zone tactics by gradually augmenting the quantity of military aircraft and naval vessels in operation around Taiwan, Taiwan News disclosed.

The term “Gray zone tactics” is described as “an endeavor or sequence of endeavors that surpasses steady-state deterrence and assurance, aiming to accomplish one’s security objectives without resorting to direct and substantial force.” Taiwan has recorded Chinese military aircraft encroachments 203 times and naval vessel incursions 131 times within this month alone. It is crucial to mention the tension existing between Taiwan and China concerning the waters encompassing Kinmen.

China has repeatedly breached the boundaries of the waters surrounding the Kinmen island held by Taiwan, which was reported by Taiwan News in March. The demarcations for Kinmen Island were established by Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense back in the year 1992, according to Taiwan news reports from February. Despite Beijing’s refusal to acknowledge Taiwan’s territorial claims (as it regards Taiwan as its own territory), Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) contends that China has tacitly adhered to these boundaries. Thus, any denial of these boundaries would represent a deviation from the status quo.