News Desk
KINMEN, Taiwan — China’s coast guard has barged into waters near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands over 60 times in the past year, a brazen escalation that’s stoking fears of Beijing’s tightening grip on the region. Taiwan’s coast guard reported 63 incursions since a deadly February 2024 clash, when a Chinese speedboat capsized while fleeing inspection, killing two men. That incident ignited a slow burn of tension—and China’s response has been relentless.
Last Thursday, four Chinese vessels slunk into waters south of Kinmen, only to be chased off by Taiwanese patrols. They returned Friday, undeterred. Taiwan calls these “grey zone” tactics—provocations short of war but aimed at eroding its control. China, predictably, cloaks them as “law enforcement.” Kinmen, a rugged archipelago just 10 kilometers from China’s Fujian coast, is home to 200,000 people caught in the crosshairs of this power play.
Lee Chun-yee, a researcher at Taiwan’s National Defense Security Research Institute, sees a darker motive. “China’s coast guard is denying Taiwan’s jurisdiction, treating Kinmen and Dongsha as their own waters,” he told me. “It’s coercion dressed up as policing—pure and simple.” Beijing, which claims Taiwan as a rogue province to be reclaimed by force if needed, refuses to recognize Kinmen’s territorial waters, flouting Taiwan’s “prohibited” and “restricted” zones.
The intrusions aren’t new—just bolder. Locals say Chinese fishing boats have long poached Kinmen’s waters, a lifeline for its fishermen, even before last year’s fatal chase. Now, with coast guard ships in the mix, it’s a direct challenge to Taiwan’s sovereignty. China stays mum on the accusations, but its actions scream intent: wear down Taiwan’s resolve, island by island, until the line between control and capitulation blurs. For Kinmen’s residents, ferrying daily to Xiamen, the stakes feel personal—and the pressure’s only mounting.
