With China escalating “gray-zone activities” in the Taiwan Strait, it’s time for Taipei to abandon its cautious strategy and take fresh inspiration from the Philippines. Tired of fishermen being harassed by the Chinese coast guard and the dangerous maneuvers against its naval ships, Manila has started calling this behavior out.
The deaths last week of two Chinese fishermen off the coast of the Taiwanese island of Kinmen — after a China-registered speedboat carrying four people was chased by authorities when it refused inspection — have made this all the more urgent. A press officer for the Taiwanese Coast Guard said the deaths were the first-ever fatalities from its enforcement action, but the consequences are far-reaching.
China Policy Research 