China has been trying to scare Taiwan for a long time with its large navy, air force, and biggest army in the world. But now, small boats are becoming a new worry for Taiwan.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard says that 38 Chinese people have recently crossed the 160-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait in five different cases. This narrow sea separates Taiwan, a democratic island, from mainland China, which is ruled by an authoritarian government.
In one case, a video posted on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) showed a man with a strong mainland Chinese accent planting a Chinese flag on what he claimed was a beach in Taiwan. The video background looked like it was filmed near the capital city, Taipei. The man has not been found yet, and authorities are trying to find out if someone in Taiwan helped him.
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Other cases include a father and son who were caught soon after landing, and another man who arrived at a fishing port in Taipei.
The problem is that these small boats, including inflatable ones used for fun at the beach, are hard to detect by Taiwan’s radar systems.
Besides military threats, Taiwan is also dealing with “gray zone” tactics from China—these are indirect strategies like using media or celebrities to influence the public. Taiwan has even deported some Chinese wives of Taiwanese men for posting videos that support China’s takeover of Taiwan.
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Taiwan’s Coast Guard believes these small boat landings might be another way to create confusion and make the public lose trust in the government’s ability to protect the island.
