Forget China’s navy, Chinese small boats are a concern
TAIPEI—China has long sought to intimidate Taiwan with its massive navy, air force and the world’s largest standing army, but it’s mere dinghies that are now causing the most consternation.
Taiwan’s coast guard has documented five cases totaling 38 Chinese citizens crossing the 160-kilometer-wide Taiwan Strait separating the self-governing island democracy from the authoritarian Chinese mainland, according to the body’s deputy director general Hsieh Ching-chin.
That includes at least one case posted to Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, in which a man speaking with a strong mainland Chinese accent is seen planting a Chinese flag on what he says is a Taiwanese beach.
Scenes in the background appear to show a stretch of coastline south of the capital Taipei.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory.
