Chinese men attempt to enter Taiwan on makeshift rafts
Two Chinese nationals have been arrested in Taiwan after they sailed over the South China Sea on makeshift rafts and attempted to sneak ashore.
The incident, the third of its kind this month alone, occurred on Tuesday and coincided with the one-year anniversary of William Lai, Taiwan's president, taking office.
The two men were apprehended while trying to land on Erdan Island, which is part of Taiwan's Kinmen county and a mere three miles from the Chinese coast.
Images released by the Taiwan coast guard show a man holding a paddle and kneeling a polystyrene board, which he reportedly launched from a traditional wooden boat known as a sampan.
The suspects could face a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to NT$500,000 (£12,420).
The coast guard said that there has been a 'recent surge in the number of cases in which the Chinese Communist Party has used small targets to harass Taiwan' and Taiwanese authorities have not ruled out that Beijing could be using 'illegal immigration by boats to conduct cognitive warfare'.
Earlier this month, a Chinese influencer who goes by the name Shandong Kaige travelled from China to Taiwan on a motorised dinghy.
In one video from the water, he claimed that he was 'entrusted with a mission' to 'safeguard the island of Taiwan' and ensure its 'return to the motherland'.
In a separate clip posted later on land, he showed off a Chinese flag, which he said he planted 'on this territory so beloved by the motherland'. He claimed to have left later the same day.
In a separate incident last week, a Chinese father and his teenage son landed in Taoyuan, a city south of Taipei that hosts the capital's main airport, after crossing more than 100 kilometres from China's Fujian province in a small rubber dinghy.
They claimed to be victims of persecution and wanted to 'seek freedom' in Taiwan.
The coastguard claimed it had not been able to detect the boat because it was too small to be picked up on their radar technology.
At least 40 people have been picked up by the coast guard since the start of the year, although it is unclear how many have come from China.
It has not been confirmed whether any of the incidents have been at Beijing's behest or simply acts carried out by independent civilians.
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