Chinese man caught swimming to Kinmen with flotation ring: CGA

Taipei, May 23 (CNA) Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) apprehended a Chinese national on Friday morning after he attempted to swim to Kinmen's Dadan Island using a flotation ring.

The man was spotted at around 10:20 a.m. approximately 0.7 nautical miles northwest of Dadan Island during a CGA patrol, according to the Coast Guard's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch. He was brought ashore at Kinmen's Liao Luo Port for questioning.

The CGA said the man is suspected of violating the Immigration Act, the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, and the Vital Area Regulations, and could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to NT$500,000 (US$16,500).

The CGA warned that such illegal crossings may be part of China's cognitive warfare tactics aimed at undermining public morale, without elaborating.

Dadan Island lies just 4.4 kilometers from China's Xiamen, making it especially susceptible to such activities, the agency said.