Taiwan deploys ships to face down approaching Chinese vessels as invasion fears soar

Taiwan deploys ships to face down approaching Chinese vessels as invasion fears soar China has threatened to attack Taiwan. Taiwan has deployed coastguard vessels after four Chinese boats entered waters near Kinmen Island, sparking further fears over an invasion. The Coast Guard Administration condemned China's attempt to use routine gray-zone conflict tactics to create false information about its jurisdiction, seriously undermining regional peace and stability. According to Taiwan ’s Coast Guard, the Kinmen‐Matsu‐Penghu Branch, unusual activity was seen near Kinmen in the afternoon. In a press statement, it explained that around 2 pm, personnel in the 12th Patrol District detected Chinese Coast Guard ships gathering in two separate areas just off Kinmen’s southern coastline. In response, Taiwan’s Coast Guard quickly sent out its own patrol vessels, moving them into nearby restricted waters so they would be in position ahead of any potential developments. Read more: China could copy Trump's Venezuela 'Maduro model' to seize Taiwan, warns expert Read more: New 'world's longest' bridge to open in weeks - cost £295.3 million to build The agency said it strongly rejects what it sees as China using gray‐zone tactics to spread misleading claims about its authority, arguing that these actions don’t match reality and harm regional stability. It added that Taiwan’s Coast Guard now operates with intensive monitoring and rapid‐response readiness, staying on the front line to enforce the law, protect sovereignty, and uphold national security. In an interview with Sky News last year, Taiwan's deputy foreign minister Wu Chihchung said: "The population need to not be naive like in the past. China is preparing to invade Taiwan." The China Coast Guard last reported a naval fleet entering waters near the Diaoyu Islands on December 10, 2025. Kyodo News previously noted that on December 31 of the same year, a Japan Coast Guard patrol ship observed a Chinese Coast Guard vessel operating in the contiguous zone just outside the Senkaku Islands’ territorial waters. That sighting marked the 47th day in a row that Chinese government ships had appeared around the islands, bringing the total to 357 days in 2025- the highest number recorded since Japan nationalized the Senkaku Islands in 2012.

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