China aims to establish 'de facto' control in Kinmen waters: Experts

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) China is repeatedly trespassing in the waters surrounding Taiwan-held Kinmen in a bid to establish "de facto" jurisdictional control of the area and bolster its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese experts said Sunday.

On both Friday and Saturday, four Chinese Coast Guard patrol vessels entered Kinmen's waters, according to Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA). The agency closely monitored the Chinese ships and broadcast warnings until they departed.

In a statement on Friday, however, the China Coast Guard stated its ships were "legally" patrolling waters off Kinmen.

Chieh Chung (揭仲), a researcher at the Taiwan-based Association of Strategic Foresight, told CNA that Beijing is aiming to create a situation of "shared jurisdiction" with Taiwan before eventually controlling the area exclusively.

Beijing sending the ships was not linked to its handling of the aftermath of the deaths of two Chinese nationals following a speedboat collision last month, Chieh said.

Its efforts to establish de facto control echoed the time when Chinese Coast Guard vessels were dispatched to waters around the disputed Diaoyutai Islands, which Taiwan, China and Japan all claim, he said.

Chieh noted, however, that no matter whether it is the Diaoyutai Islands or Kinmen, China has exercised relative restraint because it is aware that any provocation could escalate into regional conflict.

Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told CNA that the recent intrusions were part of Beijing's systematic use of non-military tactics against Taiwan, which also include cognitive warfare and economic coercion.

In the Kinmen incident, Su explained, Beijing adopted gray zone operations to undermine the sovereignty of the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal name.

While Beijing's use of new moves against Taiwan is likely to be limited, it will probably increase the frequency it employs existing tactics, Su said, urging the government to improve its risk management for potential conflicts.