Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defence (MND) has reported tracking six Chinese naval vessels operating around the country over the weekend. From 6 am on Saturday to 6 am on Sunday, Taiwanese armed forces closely monitored the situation and deployed naval vessels and coastal systems in response to China’s activities.
During this time frame, no Chinese military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait or entering Taiwan’s southwestern Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ). The MND stated, “6 PLAN vessels operating around Taiwan were detected up until 6 a.m. today. ROC Armed Forces have monitored the situation and employed Navy vessels and coastal missile systems in response to the detected activities.”
This recent incident follows a previous report from April 6, where Taiwan’s MND detected seven Chinese naval vessels and one aircraft around Taiwan. Chinese aircraft had entered Taiwan’s eastern air defence identification zone (ADIZ), prompting Taiwan to deploy aircraft, naval ships, and air defence missile systems to monitor China’s activity.
Since September 2020, China has been increasing its use of gray zone tactics by deploying more military planes and naval ships around Taiwan. Gray zone tactics are defined as efforts to achieve security objectives without direct and sizable use of force.
In light of challenges in cross-strait travel, Taiwan is reassessing its tourism goals. Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui expressed concerns over a potential shortfall of 2 million foreign visitor arrivals this year. Taiwan has urged China to show goodwill in both tourism and politics, hinting that such gestures could lead to a reconsideration of Taiwan’s ban on tour groups travelling to China.