How is China using naval tactics and propaganda to pressure Taiwan?
China is increasingly relying on “hybrid warfare” and other gray zone tactics to ramp up pressure on Taiwan, moving away from direct military confrontation and instead using coast guard deployments, research ships and legal claims to achieve its goals, a senior Taiwanese security official said.According to news agency ANI, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Institute, Ho Cheng-hui, said Beijing is focusing more on operations below the threshold of war, combining sovereignty claims with maritime activities and propaganda campaigns to influence public opinion and exert diplomatic pressure on Taiwan and regional neighbours.Speaking about the changing security environment, Hu said that with the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran appearing to abate, China may view the prospects of achieving its goals through explicit military force as less favourable.As a result, they are increasingly turning to alternative approaches to challenging Taiwan and reshaping regional dynamics.
Focus on maritime lobbying and legal claims
Hu said Beijing is exploiting loopholes in international law and using legal tools to justify its increasingly assertive behavior in disputed waters.He identified Taiwan’s exclusive economic zones, the middle line in the Taiwan Strait, and the waters around Kinmen and Matsu as potential flashpoints for future Chinese activity.
According to him, the Chinese Coast Guard has become a key tool in this strategy, regularly operating near disputed maritime borders to create uncertainty and challenge existing norms.These actions are intended not only to bolster Beijing’s territorial claims but also to shape international perceptions and complicate the responses of Taiwan and its partners, Hu said.
Taiwan urges ‘absolute transparency’
Hu called on Taiwan to take a more proactive approach in confronting Chinese activities, pointing to the Philippines’ policy of “absolute transparency” as a successful model.By documenting and exposing every Chinese naval intervention, Manila has been able to challenge Beijing’s narratives and combat disinformation campaigns.Hu suggested that Taiwan adopt similar measures, including live-streamed coast guard patrols around its outlying islands to quickly refute false claims.He also called for stronger cooperation between Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines through intelligence sharing, joint maritime enforcement efforts and diplomatic coordination on fishing and resource disputes.
Military activity around Taiwan escalates
The warning comes amid continued Chinese military activity near Taiwan.Taiwan’s military will begin a five-day combat readiness exercise on Monday, aiming to improve its ability to respond to sudden escalation by China and promote rapid transitions from peacetime to wartime.Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense said the exercises will focus on realistic combat scenarios using “actual forces, on actual ground, in real time, using actual equipment, and through actual execution,” Reuters reported.Separately, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said on Sunday that it had detected two sorties by Chinese military aircraft, eight naval vessels and four official ships operating around the island.The ministry said Taiwan’s armed forces monitored the situation and responded appropriately.China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, while Taiwan maintains its own military and democratic government and system, making the island a continuing source of tensions in the region.
