TAIPEI – Taiwan’s coastguard chief Kuan Bi-ling vowed April 2 to ramp up defenses around the remote Pratas Islands, over 400km from the mainland, as China intensifies “grey zone” harassment, expanding patrols from Kinmen to this strategic South China Sea atoll between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Beijing claims the pristine national park, lightly guarded by coastguard rather than troops, as its turf ripe for seizure due to distance and symbolism, Kuan told the Foreign Correspondents’ Club. Chinese vessels have surged since 2025, shifting pressure tactics to non-combat probes that sap resources, like a January drone flyover slammed as “provocative.”
Taiwan counters with wharf upgrades and beefier vessel rotations, eyeing the site for an “island defense system.” In wartime, Anping-class corvettes, navy-inspired with anti-ship missile slots, would surge into battle. Kuan framed China’s moves as a costly drain on Strait ties, diverting from mariner rescues, yet a spur for Taipei’s readiness sprint.
“We accelerate peacetime-to-wartime shifts, turning pressure into capability gains,” she asserted. No word from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, as the atoll’s tussle heightens risks in Beijing’s creeping maritime playbook.