Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) reported that two unmanned aerial vehicles from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) circled the island for hours on Saturday. This incursion occurred just a day after joint naval drills between Japan and the Philippines in nearby waters.
From 6 a.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday, Taiwan’s MND reported the presence of nine Chinese military aircraft and nine naval vessels operating around Taiwan. Among the aircraft, six crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering Taiwan’s eastern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
The drones reportedly patrolled around Taiwan from noon until 9 p.m., approaching as close as 43 nautical miles to Cape Eluanbi, the southernmost point of Taiwan. Taiwan’s MND confirmed this activity on social media platform X, detailing the proximity and movements of the PLA assets.
On Sunday, Taiwan detected a more substantial presence of Chinese military assets, with 36 aircraft and 12 naval vessels in the vicinity. Of these, 31 aircraft breached the median line of the Taiwan Strait, entering various sectors of Taiwan’s ADIZ, including northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern regions.
This uptick in activity is part of a broader pattern. In August alone, Taiwan reported 71 instances of PLA aircraft and 36 instances of Chinese naval vessels operating near its territory. Since September 2020, China has increasingly employed “gray zone tactics,” escalating military presence around Taiwan.
Gray zone tactics, as reported by Taiwan News, involve actions that exceed normal deterrence and assurance measures but stop short of outright warfare. This strategy aims to achieve security objectives through persistent, non-combative pressure.
The Japanese Defense Ministry corroborated Taiwan’s reports, noting the movement of PLA drones and a Y-9 intelligence gathering plane within Japan’s ADIZ. The drones flew over the waters between Taiwan and Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost islands.
The recent increase in PLA activity around Taiwan coincides with the first joint military exercise between the Philippines and Japan in the West Philippine Sea.
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