Coast Guard Administration (CGA) patrols detained a Chinese citizen who drove a speedboat into the Tamsui River on Sunday. The 60-year-old man, surnamed Ruan (阮), told authorities he wished to “defect” from China. The incident has raised concerns about loopholes in coastal defense and the possibility this incursion qualifies as “gray-zone” harassment by China.
Ruan’s vessel was initially spotted steering a speedboat six nautical miles off the Tamsui coast around 11 a.m. on Sunday. Shortly after entering the river, he accidentally collided with another vessel at the ferry terminal, at which point he was reported and CGA officials arrived to arrest him and seize the speedboat. Ruan was transferred to Taiwan Shilin District Prosecutors Office for further questioning.
Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) was interviewed regarding the incident prior to the Legislature’s policy review on Tuesday. He said coastal radars are in place around the mouth of the Tamsui River, and that the Defense Ministry and CGA work together to monitor this strategically important area.
DPP Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) raised questions regarding China’s espionage networks within Taiwan and other cognitive warfare tactics. In response, Koo assured the Legislature that the relevant authorities have always remained vigilant of foreign infiltration.
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said on Tuesday that the government’s national security units are closely following these activities, investigations are underway, and protective measures have been strengthened accordingly.
China has intensified gray-zone warfare since 2016, sending over balloons, drones, and civilian vessels, in addition to ramping up military activity. In the past year, more than a dozen similar cases of Chinese citizens infiltrating Taiwan claiming to “seek freedom” were recorded.