The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) this morning apprehended a Chinese man who unlawfully entered Taiwanese waters in an inflatable boat near Hanshehua (寒舍花) in Kinmen County.
At 6:49am, the Coast Patrol Corps 9th division under the Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu branch of the agency detected and intercepted the boat.
The man was taken into custody and is under investigation by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu branch
Shortly afterward at 8am, four China Coast Guard vessels were found entering the waters around Lienchiang County’s Siyin Island (西引) and Wuciou Township (烏坵).
The CGA deployed patrol boats to monitor the situation.
It comes as China's coast guard said it conducted "law enforcement patrols" around Taiwan today, the same day Beijing announced military drills around the nation.
The CGA said that it detected China Coast Guard vessels 14607 and 14517 approaching Dongyin Island (東引) in Lienchiang County.
The agency said it dispatched vessels in response to the ships, which the China Coast Guard claimed were "conducting law enforcement patrols."
"Coast guard vessel formations conducted law enforcement patrols in waters surrounding Taiwan Island, and carried out drills such as inspection and capture, interception and detention operations against unwarranted vessels," China Coast Guard East China Sea Bureau spokesperson Zhu Anqing (朱安慶) said in a statement.
The timing of the Chinese drills and the small-scale illegal entry attempt has raised suspicions that the two are connected, and it is not being ruled out that the man found this morning is involved in Chinese military operations, the CGA said.
Kinmen and Lienchiang are positioned at the front line of China’s “gray zone” tactics, the CGA branch said.
The coast guard is on high alert against potential threats from China, employing surveillance technology and round-the-clock patrols to strengthen response measures, it added.
Additional reporting by AFP and CNA
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