During the last few years, the friction between China and Taiwan has been constantly increasing,
but the former has carried out a form of gray-zone war that is not precisely subtle,
yet not violent either.
In order to wear its enemy down, massive Chinese dredging vessels
have been trespassing into Taiwanese waters since 2017,
and the tiny country has been forced to come up with creative solutions.
Footage taken in 2020 shows how a Coast Guard boat-sprays water on an intimidating sand dredger,
as the Chinese have been stealing Taiwanese sand from the ocean floor
while determined to take back their former territory, even if it is one grain at a time…
Irreconcilable Differences
A collection of islands called Matsu lie 20 kilometers away from the Chinese coast.
The islands hold a population of 13,000 inhabitants, and they are no strangers to war.
For over half a century, the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China, or Taiwan,
have been at war, but tensions had not been as high as they currently are.
In the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War, the islands of Matsu were on the
front lines of the dispute because of their proximity to the Asian giant.
After losing the war to Mao Zedong’s Communist forces, Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek fled
to Taiwan. Forced to rebase his government on the island along with his troops,
the defectors also took control and fortified the Matsu and Kinmen islands,
while the Communist Party established their People’s Republic on the mainland.
The two leaders vowed to take back the so-called “other China,” and from 1958
to 1979, both sides attacked each other through propaganda or artillery shelling.
Today, China still doesn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent country, and the superpower
has resorted to tactics more akin to the new millennium rather than outright war.
As early as 2017, the titan secretly sent enormous vessels to trespass Taiwan-controlled waters.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard registered two of them that year, then 71 in 2018
and up to 600 in 2019. But in 2020 about 4,000 Chinese ships intruded the so-called “gray-zone.”
Taiwan’s ships don’t go over 100 tons, while some of the Chinese ones reached 3,000.
Still, despite the Guard’s best intent and effort to safeguard the livelihood of Matsu’s
inhabitants, the Chinese ships are on a mission. Not content with merely harassing the Taiwanese,
in mid-2020 China started non-combative tactics to wear down its opponent.
The Chinese ships are specialized sand dredgers that furtively steal the sand from
Taiwan’s ocean floor. Starting in June, swarms of ships revolved around Matsu,
defiantly scooping tons of sand and ferrying them back for construction projects in China.
Such irregular operations aim to exhaust a foe without open violence,
but the Taiwanese have already responded. Available footage shows that the Coast
Guard answered the Chinese intrusion by spraying a dredger with a water cannon.
After the video was shot in late 2020, frictions have only risen both regionally
and internationally. Not for nothing, a statue of Chiang located at the entrance
of the main island of Nangan reads: (QUOTE) “We sleep with our weapons by our pillows."
Destruction
Water cannons aside, Taiwan is currently in the process of reinforcing its coast guard.
President Tsai-Ing-wen has already commissioned the first so-called aircraft-carrier killer,
and the Coast Guard’s new class of vessels will serve as missile boats for the Navy.
The president also stated in December of 2020 that over a hundred new boats will be built throughout
the next decade as part of his country’s “no mercy” approach against Chinese dredging.
Constant patrolling will still be crucial, and larger patrol boats
were sent to reinforce Matsu’s Coast Guard in 24-hour shifts.
In 2020, Taiwan impounded four Chinese ships and detained 37 crew members,
of which 10 were sentenced to at least six months in prison.
However, in their effort to repel the Chinese lashing, the civilian-run Coast
Guard Administration is being worn down, and the islands’ residents constantly
suffer the consequences of the forays. These include the disruption of the local economy,
the destruction of marine life in the surroundings,
the intimidation of residents and tourists alike, and the wrecking of undersea communication cables.
As the situation escalated in the frontier, the dredgers damaged important communication
cables between the Nangan and Jujuang islands at least five times in 2020.
Backed by the state, Chunghwa Telecom spent about two million dollars fixing the infrastructure.
Moreover, it had to hire a local boat to conduct daily patrols and ensure the safety of the cables.
Mobile phone and internet services were also hampered, much to the outrage of the islanders.
In fact, the people of Matsu dread a Chinese invasion.
Chen Kuo-chiang, the owner of a restaurant in Nangan, spoke for his people when he said: (QUOTE)
“We don’t want to be ruled by mainland China. We have freedom, which is limited over there.”
The remnants of war are still visible across the islands.
On Nangan Island, one can find anti-Communist slogans on the cliffs or even air-raid tunnels.
However, Matsu has become a popular tourist destination,
with its picturesque appearance and old-stone houses refurbished into stylish guesthouses.
Lin Mei-hao grew up on Nangan Island, and the guesthouse he runs with his family overlooks
the Golden Sand bay. Lin laments that the dredging has eroded some of the sand away:
(QUOTE) "It's not as beautiful as it used to be.”
David vs. Goliath
Matsu’s local Coast Guard has sporadically required backup from Mainland Taiwan,
especially given the steep increase of dredgers’ sightings.
During the first four months of 2021 alone, the Taiwanese expelled 94 ships from their waters.
According to the guards, most Chinese vessels have been spotted heading towards Wenzhou
while fully loaded. Reportedly, the city has an ongoing land reclamation project,
and the massive plot has been publicized by the local government.
The so-called Ou Fei project has reclaimed a 66-square-kilometer area,
twice the extension of the Matsu Islands, for a new economic zone.
Wenzhou’s government described the enterprise as a: (QUOTE) “Major strategic development for the
future.” However, the local authorities have not made any further statements.
In the meantime, Taiwan faces a difficult decision. Lii Wen, Head of the local chapter
of Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, stated: (QUOTE) "If Taiwan fails to respond,
then we allow the destruction of our environment and infrastructure. But if Taiwan responds with
military force on civilian dredgers, then it gives China an excuse to escalate tensions."
Still, China doesn’t recognize democratic Taiwan’s sovereignty
and considers it part of its territory. The superpower has never renounced the
use of force to take back control of the so-called “rebels” if necessary.
Indeed, the residents of Matsu argue that the focus has shifted, and the Chinese military
might bypass the islands altogether and aim for the mainland instead. It is widely believed that
China would need to attack quickly so that the US doesn’t have enough time to meddle.
Furthermore, China-US relations have also worsened,
for Washington has openly supported Taiwan. In unprecedented fashion, America has even
had high-level visits to the island, much to the chagrin of the Chinese government.
Nevertheless, the Taiwanese have devised resourceful ways to cope with the dredgers.
As civilian Lin Mei-hao put it: (QUOTE) "We do have some experiences to share, in particular
how to face pressure from China in the form of civilian boats instead of military ones. [...]
We have such a diverse toolbox since no single method is sufficient when you are coping with all
these 2,000-ton beasts that are intruding into our waters. It's a David-versus-Goliath situation."
Only time will tell how the complex situation evolves and whether China
will continue pressuring Taiwan with such an unconventional approach.
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