(Adnkronos) – Alarm goes off in Taiwan. Cases of ‘mini-landings’ from China are increasing, considered part of the “grey zone” tactics in a context of continuous tensions and military pressure from the Asian giant. Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy head of Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, spoke about it, as reported by the South China Morning Post after the island’s media, de facto independent but for which Beijing wants “reunification”, reported that a man in September 2023 would have left from a beach near Fuzhou, in the Chinese province of Fujian, aboard a Chinese merchant ship, flying the Tanzanian flag, and then landed in Taiwan. Here he would have continued to roam undisturbed for a month before ‘turning himself in’ to the local authorities. But it is not clear what he did in those days.
A case that, writes the South China Morning Post, highlights “a flaw in the maritime security” of the island, with 1,800 kilometers of coastline and many islets to control, and which has led some to believe the man may have been dedicated to gathering intelligence or undercover activities.
According to experts, Taiwan’s ‘weaknesses’ in coastal control are coming to light, which could be exploited by Beijing. The region’s media have recently covered a series of ‘infiltrations’ of people from China. On Tuesday, Taiwan’s Coast Guard intercepted two Chinese citizens who were trying to land on an islet in the Kinmen archipelago ‘riding’ polystyrene boards, with the help of a small sampan.
Last Friday, a father and son crossed the Taiwan Strait on a small dinghy, reaching the island from China, managing to arrive in an area often used by the Taiwanese military for exercises. They reportedly said they were fleeing the People’s Republic. The day before, a man claimed on social media, complete with images, that he had managed to reach a beach near Taoyuan alone, where he hoisted a Chinese flag and then returned home. The authenticity of the video was confirmed by the Taiwan Coast Guard, which is investigating, as reported by Cna. According to the agency, since the beginning of the year at least five cases have been ascertained concerning 38 Chinese citizens who have illegally crossed the Taiwan Strait.
“Beijing is clearly testing our response times. These episodes may seem absurd – comments Max Lo of the Taipei think tank Taiwan International Strategic Study Society, quoted by the South China Morning Post – but they are part of a broader strategy”. It is in this context that in recent days the deputy head of the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration has insisted on the need to strengthen controls along the coasts. More funds are needed for the installation of surveillance systems. Also because the challenge is the size of the boats used, often very small. Meanwhile, Tsai Ming-yen, head of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau, has announced the creation of a task force dedicated to ‘landings’ as part of the gray zone tactics, an act of interference that is not considered a conflict. For those who arrive illegally on the island, the sentence can be up to 500,000 Taiwan dollars in fines and five years in prison.
