Illegal entry of Chinese national ahead of PLA drills probed by prosecutors

Taipei, April 1 (CNA) The illegal entry of a Chinese national into the outlying county of Kinmen ahead of China's military exercises around Taiwan on Tuesday could signal a new form of gray zone disruption, warned the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

According to a statement issued by the CGA's Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch, its Kinmen personnel spotted a Chinese national in a rubber dinghy attempting to illegally land in Kinmen at 6:49 a.m. The sighting came right before the People's Liberation Army (PLA) announced at 7:30 a.m. that it had begun joint exercises around Taiwan.

Local CGA personnel intercepted the individual and brought him and the vessel in for investigation. Shortly afterward, radar detected four China Coast Guard vessels in Taiwan's restricted waters around the Matsu Islands' Xiyin and Wuqiu islets at around 8 a.m.

The CGA branch dispatched four patrol vessels to monitor the situation.

Given the timing of the incident, authorities "do not rule out a potential connection between the event and China's military exercises, which could even be part of them," said Chen Tai-an (陳代安), deputy chief of the Kinmen CGA group that seized the Chinese national, in a recorded statement.

The case has been handed over to Kinmen prosecutors for further investigation, he added.

The CGA statement highlighted China's use of hybrid tactics in its gray-zone operations and military exercises around Taiwan, vowing to remain on high alert for further developments.

Meanwhile, Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV, citing PLA Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Shi Yi (施毅), reported that the drills involve army, navy, air, and rocket forces "closing in" on Taiwan from multiple directions.

No details were provided on the duration or specific focus areas of the exercises.