On April 29, the Chinese Ministry of National Defense announced that it had strengthened “law enforcement patrols” around the Taiwanese Kinmen Islands, according to Taiwan News.
The Kinmen Islands are only around 5 miles (8km) away from the Chinese mainland.
On February 14 of this year, a Taiwanese Coast Guard vessel pursued a Chinese fishing boat that had entered the territory of Kinmen. The pursuit led to the death of two Chinese fishermen, according to Taiwan News.
On Feb. 17, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said there are no “restricted” or “prohibited” waters around the Kinmen Islands.
This comes as Taiwan has increased its cooperation with the United States, and China has increased its aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
China is very likely to continue its active violation of Taiwanese territorial claims by utilizing air and sea assets to penetrate Taiwan’s territorial claims.
