On the eve of Lai Qingde's assumption of office, the mainland coast guard carried out five law enforcement inspections in 10 days, and Taiwan media were the first to notice that something was wrong: the mainland may have changed the direction of typhoons.
First, the way the mainland patrols Taiwan has changed
Since May, the China Coast Guard has apparently stepped up its enforcement efforts in Kinmen waters, not only in terms of frequency, but also in the dispatch of vessels.
According to data, in April, the China Coast Guard carried out a total of four law enforcement patrols around the waters around Kinmen, and less than half of May, the China Coast Guard has carried out five law enforcement inspections.
At this time, some people suddenly discovered that with the frequent entry of the Chinese coast guard into the waters of Kinmen, the relevant reports of Taiwan media are also decreasing, which undoubtedly releases a special signal.
Some people pointed out that the highest frequency of relevant reports in Taiwan media was in February, and the "2.14 vicious collision incident" happened to occur in that month. At the same time, "prohibiting and restricting waters" has not only become a high-frequency word in the media on the island, but has also become a "red line" unilaterally drawn by the Taiwan authorities.
It is important to emphasize here that the "forbidden waters" in the mouth of the Taiwan authorities refer to 8,000 meters to the south of Kinmen Island, and the "restricted waters" refer to 8,000 to 10,000 meters to the south.
The mainland's "red line" against the Taiwan authorities has also been directly "attacked" in countermeasures, and it has frequently used actions to prove that there is no "forbidden or restricted waters" between the two sides of the strait.
Some people believe that the frequent patrol activities of the mainland coast guard not only show that the mainland has effective control over the waters, but also show that the mainland's law enforcement scope has effectively covered the waters around Kinmen Island, which has undoubtedly sounded the alarm bell of the Taiwan authorities.
The Taiwan media also discovered the change in the direction of typhoons on the mainland for the first time, and became "sensible" when reporting on the mainland: constantly reducing the involvement of words related to "prohibiting and restricting waters".
(Taiwan media are reducing reports mentioning "forbidden and restricted waters")
Obviously, however, this cannot stop the ambitions of the "Taiwan independence" elements.
Since May, the "Taiwan independence" forces have shifted the spearhead of speculation from "prohibiting and restricting waters" to "controlling maritime areas."
The mainland has also not given it the slightest opportunity to directly change the way it enforces the law: the division of law enforcement actions is becoming more and more detailed. In a recent law enforcement patrol operation, the mainland for the first time dispatched a formation composed of mainland coast guard ships and official vessels into the waters of Kinmen.
When the Taiwan media reported on this inspection activity, they also emphasized the term "official vessel," undoubtedly because it was related to the "law enforcement power" of the on-site waters, and it was obvious that the mainland's inspection action was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Taiwan authorities' hype of the so-called "strait control power."
2. Ships on both sides of the strait confronted each other in Kinmen
According to Taiwan media reports, on May 9, the Taiwan Strait Patrol Department successively detected that 5 mainland coast guard vessels and 7 mainland official ships assembled and sailed into the waters of Kinmen, and the Taiwan Strait Patrol Department also dispatched 6 coast guard boats to the on-site waters to respond to the mainland operation.
This has undoubtedly created a situation of "head-on confrontation" between mainland law enforcement vessels and Taiwan Strait patrol vessels.
(Ships on both sides of the strait "confronted each other" in the waters of Kinmen)
The Taiwan Strait Guard Department also said that while the mainland was carrying out rescue exercises, four mainland coast guard ships formed another formation and sailed into the "forbidden waters" from the south of Dadan Island, while another mainland coast guard ship was carrying out a patrol mission outside the "Taiwan waters."
The Taiwan Strait Patrol directly dispatched three patrol boats to continuously monitor and collect evidence.
Obviously, in the face of today's large-scale Taiwan patrol operation, the Coast Guard department of the Taiwan authorities only dares to watch from a distance and does not dare to "speak out" for fear of being "warned bilingually" by the mainland again.
Previously, the Fujian Coast Guard used "bilingual warnings" for the first time during a regular law enforcement patrol activity.
From the patrol footage at the time, it can be seen that a coast guard officer issued a warning to the Taiwan Strait Guard vessel through a broadcaster.
Generally speaking, this warning is to declare to the Taiwan side that its actions seriously threaten the safety of mainland cruise ships, and to inform it that if it does not immediately regulate navigation, our side will definitely take necessary measures.
Even after the Mandarin warning ended, the coast guard officer gave a second warning in Hokkien very "thoughtfully" to prevent the Taiwan Strait patrol vessel from "pretending to be deaf and dumb."
(For the first time, the mainland coast guard adopted "bilingual warnings" for law enforcement inspections)
Third, Lai Qingde should be cautious when taking office
The frequent entry of mainland coast guard ships into the waters of Kinmen to conduct law enforcement inspections has obviously aroused Lai Qingde's fear.
First, in the face of the mainland's powerful weaponry, the Taiwan military's military strength is obviously somewhat insufficient.
In order to safeguard his "Taiwan independence" stance, Lai Ching-te also directly and openly stated that he would reach further cooperation with Japan, and also said that this cooperation includes not only economic and trade cooperation between Taiwan and Japan, but also military cooperation between Taiwan and Japan.
Second, as the mainland continues to carry out law enforcement inspections, the island's negative sentiment toward the mainland is also decreasing.
This phenomenon is undoubtedly due to the fact that the mainland coast guard has not only effectively safeguarded the interests of the mainland people, but also the interests of the Taiwan people, especially the vital interests of the people of Kinmen.
The Kinmen region has always played an important role in cross-strait relations, and the increasing degree of recognition of the local people for the mainland's coast guard's law enforcement inspections has undoubtedly promoted the process of cross-strait reunification to a great extent.
Lai Qingde obviously knows that he is now facing the dilemma of being in power: there is constant pressure from the mainland externally, and there is opposition to "independence" from the Taiwan people internally.
This undoubtedly sounded the alarm bell for him: To engage in "Taiwan independence" is to become a "lonely person."
(The mainland coast guard sounded the alarm for Lai Qingde)
In the face of the upcoming inauguration ceremony, Lai Ching-te will undoubtedly have to seriously consider the political policy of the Taiwan authorities in the future, and his best choice at present is to reach a consensus with the mainland and realize the long-cherished wish of the people on both sides of the strait for reunification.