(Adnkronos) – Two Chinese citizens were arrested after attempting to reach the Taiwanese island of Erdan aboard a small boat. This is the third case in May alone in which Chinese civilians have illegally arrived by sea in the territory controlled by Taipei, fueling fears of a possible deliberate strategy by Beijing.
According to the Taiwanese coast guard, the two men were apprehended at dawn while launching a styrofoam raft from their Chinese-registered sampan in the waters around Erdan, in the Kinmen district, just 5 km from the Chinese coast. The incident occurred on the anniversary of the inauguration of President William Lai, a figure disliked by the Chinese regime. In recent days, a father with his teenage son crossed the Taiwan Strait in a dinghy, while a Chinese influencer posted videos claiming to have landed in Taoyuan, planting a Chinese flag.
Taipei suspects that these actions are part of a “hybrid war” operation conducted by the Chinese Communist Party to destabilize the island, combining naval intrusions, cognitive campaigns and infrastructure sabotage. Taiwanese authorities report a “worrying increase” in illegal entries by sea and warn: “An urgent upgrade of surveillance systems is needed to counter hybrid threats.”
