As Year Ends, Mainland China Coast Guard Again Harasses Kinmen Waters Amid Harsh Winter Storm

As the strongest cold front of the year sweeps through Taiwan, temperatures have plummeted across the region, including Kinmen and Matsu. Sea conditions have become extremely hazardous, with on-site wind speeds in Kinmen area reaching Beaufort scale 7–8, and gusts up to scale 10.
Despite rough seas, at approximately 14:00 today (December 27), the Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch (KMP Branch) of ROC Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (TCGA) detected four Mainland China Coast Guard (CCG) vessels loitering just outside Taiwan’s Restricted Area south of Kinmen. Suspecting an imminent incursion, Patrol District Office 12 immediately dispatched four Patrol Boats from the Offshore Flotilla 9 (Kinmen) to the outer boundary of the Restricted Area for close monitoring and response.
At 15:00, four CCG vessels—hull numbers 14604, 14603, 14608, and 14609—entered Taiwan waters in two groups from the southern part of Jhuishan and Liaoluo. The four TCGA Patrol Boats corresponded in a two-on-two formation, maintaining parallel tracking. TCGA crews issued firm radio warnings in Mandarin and English, clearly expressing Taiwan’s law enforcement authority, while conducting full documentation and expulsion procedures.
The CCG vessels exited Taiwan’s Restricted Area by 17:00, after two hours of TCGA’s continuous close-range surveillance .
TCGA stated that despite year 2024 drawing to a close, Mainland China continues its gray zone incursions by using their Coast Guard assets to undermine regional peace and stability. In response, TCGA will remain high alert and continue deploying agile, flexible, and effective maritime patrol strategies to resolutely defend national sovereignty and safeguard security in the waters around Kinmen.