By Eric Chang, Staff Writer — Taiwan News, Thursday 26 May 2022
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four Chinese fighter planes entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Wednesday 25 May, marking the eighteenth day of intrusions this month. Two People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Shenyang J-16 fighter jets and two Chengdu J-10 fighter planes flew into the southwest corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ, according to the Ministry of National Defence (MND). In response, Taiwan sent aircraft, issued radio warnings, and deployed air defence missiles to track the PLAAF fighters.
An ADIZ is an area that extends beyond a country’s airspace where air traffic controllers ask incoming aircraft to identify themselves. So far this month China had sent 74 military aircraft into Taiwan’s identification zone, including 34 fighter jets, 21 spotter planes, 10 bombers and nine helicopters. Since September 2020, China has increased its use of grey zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner. In 2021 Chinese military planes entered Taiwan’s ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days. Grey zone tactics are defined 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.”