Ying Lu Lin & Tzu-Hao Liao
The China Coast Guard (CCG) led three intensive incursions into waters around the island of Kinmen in November. This marked a sharp escalation in operational assertiveness after a period of relative calm in October. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported on November 20 that the 12th Patrol District from its Kinmen–Matsu–Penghu Branch detected a CCG vessel operating with its automatic identification system (AIS) disabled. This usually indicates hostile intent (CGA, November 20). The CGA responded by dispatching patrol ships to intercept the vessels. An hour later, four CCG vessels entered Kinmen waters from two directions, approaching from the southwest of Lieyu Township and the southeast of Liaoluo Bay in column formations. [1] The CGA deployed four patrol vessels to prevent the CCG ships from advancing deeper until the ships eventually withdrew.
These incursions reflect a broader shift in CCG tactics around Taiwan. Earlier operations typically employed “single-file” penetrations, but November’s actions featured east–west converging formations, testing Taiwan’s responsiveness to more complex maneuvers. By leveraging numerical superiority and larger-tonnage hulls, the CCG aims to impose continuous pressure on Taiwan’s offshore islands and to create conditions for isolating and encircling these outposts.
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