An independent European think tank has identified Kinmen as China’s strategic laboratory for dealing with Taiwan. The Thomas More Institute’s Indo-Pacific Program director, Laurent Amelot, highlights recent incidents off the coast of Taiwan, signaling China’s disregard for Taiwan’s maritime and airspace boundaries.
The two incidents on February 15 and 19 involved Chinese fishermen drowning off the Kinmen Islands and the Chinese Coast Guard boarding a Taiwanese tourist ship. These actions signify China’s shift towards asserting its jurisdiction over Taiwan’s territories, challenging the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
Amelot warns that if tensions continue to escalate, it could lead to long-term consequences and potential bans on Chinese vessels by Taiwan. China’s strategy in the region involves increasing Coast Guard operations and deploying fishing vessels to monitor and disrupt Taiwanese activities.
The think tank suggests that Taiwan should enhance its maritime and air security cooperation to counter China’s aggressive tactics. The situation in the Taiwan Strait could have broader implications for regional security, with Japan also urged to closely monitor China’s actions in the area.
As China’s focus turns towards islands like Kinmen and Matsu, the balance of power in the Pacific could be significantly altered, posing a challenge to the existing regional security architecture. The evolving dynamics in the Taiwan Strait underscore the growing tensions between China and Taiwan, with potential ramifications for the broader Indo-Pacific region.