Forget China's navy, Chinese small boats landings on Taiwan are a new source of concern
TAIPEI (AP) — China has long sought to intimidate Taiwan with its massive navy, air force and the world's largest standing army, but it's mere dinghies that are now causing the most consternation.
Taiwan's coast guard has documented five cases totaling 38 Chinese citizens crossing the 160-kilometer (100-mile) wide Taiwan Strait separating the self-governing island democracy from the authoritarian Chinese mainland, according to the body's deputy director-general Hsieh Ching-chin.
That includes at least one case posted to Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, in which a man speaking with a strong mainland Chinese accent is seen planting a Chinese flag on what he says is a Taiwanese beach. Scenes in the background appear to show a stretch of coastline south of the capital Taipei.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory, to be conquered by force if necessary. The man has not been found or publicly identified, and Taiwanese authorities are seeking to ascertain whether he received help from anyone on the island.
Another case involved a father and son who were apprehended shortly after reaching land, along with a man who came ashore at a fishing port in a popular tourist area north of Taipei.
The small size of the boats, some just inflatables for having fun at the beach, makes it difficult for Taiwan's radar to pick them up. More cameras and other detection devices and manpower would be needed to cover the vast spaces of inhospitable coastline surrounding the island, but the terrain would make a Chinese D-Day-type landing highly challenging.
While such cases are not unheard of, they come amid a rise in tensions between the sides, with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te designating China as an enemy to be defended against, and China holding frequent military exercises seen as a rehearsal for an invasion or boycott of Taiwan.
Those entering Taiwan illegally are liable to a fine of 500,000 Taiwan dollars ($16,666) and five years in prison, but such penalties are usually waived as long as no one is hurt and there is no property damage. In the 1990s, there was a wave of hijackings by Chinese to Taiwan, but the perpetrators were sent home after serving brief prison terms in Taiwan.
In addition to facing China's formidable military, Taiwan faces a range of so-called 'gray area' strategies, including in the media and among entertainers hoping to grab a share of the massive Chinese market. Taiwan has also deported the Chinese wives of Taiwanese men for posting videos supporting a takeover of the island.
The small boat landings may be a further attempt to confuse and undermine confidence among the public, Hsieh said.
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Rep. Buddy Carter, the Republican congressman for Georgia's 1st congressional district, joined Canary Media's Julian Spector for an interview on stage on June 4 at our Canary Live event in Washington, D.C. Listen to the audio or read the transcript, which has been edited for clarity and brevity. Julian Spector: Congressman Buddy Carter from Georgia — there he is. Let's give him a warm Canary Media welcome. It's an honor to have you here. We're just kicking off our first live event in Washington, D.C. Everyone is into the energy scene — the technologies and the policies. I wanted to start by saying why we were so excited to have you here. You're the Republican congressman from Georgia's 1st district. Buddy Carter: Thank you! My district is around Savannah. You've got the entire coast of pristine coastline and two major seaports: the Port of Savannah and No. 3 container port in the country, and the Port of Brunswick, the No. 1 roll-on, roll-off port in the country. 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We create a pro-business environment, but we've also had the availability and accessibility and affordability of energy, which is very important. Now let's talk about affordability, because I think that's an important thing to talk about as well. Yes, nuclear power is more expensive at this point, but I think it's important to note that the difference between the cost of reactor No. 3 and reactor No. 4 was significant. We learned a lot of things when we built reactor No. 3 that we were able to apply to reactor No. 4 that saved a lot of money. Spector: So for full journalistic duty, there was quite a bit of going over budget on the total Vogtle project, but that's an interesting point about bringing the overruns down with the learning. Speaking of the cost of energy, I think we can't ignore there's a little something going on in Washington this week, which is this big, beautiful budget. I was looking back over a letter you wrote with some of your colleagues from the Conservative Climate Caucus last summer, basically saying that prematurely repealing the energy tax credits, particularly those used to justify investments that already broke ground, could undermine private investment and stop development that's already ongoing. And I think that applies both to factories that are trying to make things in America, and power plants, solar plants. So, you voted for the budget bill. What happened between the argument you were making in that letter last summer and the bill that you ultimately voted for? Carter: Let's stay focused on what we're trying to do with one big, beautiful bill. If we do not pass that, Americans will be looking at the largest tax increase they've ever seen. In fact, I've signed three letters saying that we should not take a sledgehammer to the Inflation Reduction Act. Instead, we should take a scalpel, because I've always said, and I continue to say, if these policies result in stabilizing our supply chain or if they result in domestic manufacturing, why wouldn't we look at them? Why wouldn't we keep them? That's Republican priorities anyway. I want to share a quick story with you because I thought it was somewhat humorous. I was calling up a supporter. And, you know, I'm running statewide. I should have mentioned that I'm running for U.S. Senate in the next election. I called up a potential supporter, and he was saying, 'Well, you signed that letter and you're not supporting the president because you're not doing away with the IRA.' And I said, 'Well, wait a minute now, why would we?' He responded: 'Well, if you want to keep some of those things, you ought to just do away with the IRA and then bring them back. So what's the difference?' Give me a break. Republican ideas, Democratic ideas. 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Solar is the thing that's getting built the most across the country right now, and if the credits sort of shake up the investment landscape there, they're saying it could jeopardize 60 gigawatts of annual deployment of clean energy. Do you think your colleagues are grappling with that, a possibility that these cuts might actually undermine the president's AI agenda and the sort of economic vitality that's powered by electricity? Carter: Look, I don't care what economic sector you're talking about. In Congress right now, the buzz at the Capitol is AI. Every committee is having a hearing on AI. Health subcommittee, we are having hearings on AI, and so is natural resources. Everything is AI right now. We understand now, to your point, the demand for energy. That's why I'm an all-of-the-above type energy strategist, because we are going to need every electron we can get. We all know how much data centers in AI are going to demand. To your point, yes, we're going to need solar, we're going to need wind, we're going to need nuclear and its baseload reliability. Yes, we're going to need it. We're going to need every available electron. All of you understand how important this is. We cannot afford to lose this race to China. We cannot afford to lose the AI race to China. If we do, then God help us, and China's trying to do it. Spector: Setting aside the current budget battle, are there any specific policies you would want to propose to ensure the U.S. can meet its electricity needs for AI and all the new factories? Are there any specific policies you'd like to pass once the budget discussions get taken care of? Carter: Absolutely. In the Energy and Commerce Committee, we're working on a number of different policies. I mentioned that I've signed three letters. The last letter was with [Rep.] Dan Newhouse on nuclear energy. We had this tragedy in Fukushima, and I was able to go to Japan and see what happened there. Europe's kind of abandoned nuclear energy, but I think they're going back now. I know France, thank goodness, didn't abandon it; they're providing it for everyone. Nuclear is going to be a big part of it. We're going to need everything. I am encouraging my colleagues to look at everything. Spector: I've been seeing in my reporting a lot of companies that used to talk a lot about climate, and nonprofits, NGOs, pulling back from using the word climate in today's Washington. You're still a leader of the Conservative Climate Caucus. So I wonder, can you get traction in President Trump's Washington, using that word climate? Does that generate some pushback from your colleagues? Or do you think it's important to keep using that language? Carter: I know that some of you are not going to believe this, but Republicans are pro-environment. Being pro-growth and pro-environment are not mutually exclusive. You can be both, and we are both. I have the honor and privilege of representing, as I said, the coast of Georgia. It's where I've lived all my life and where I intend to live the rest of my life. Some of my fondest memories growing up are going fishing with my dad. I want my sons, I want my grandchildren, to have that same opportunity to enjoy those memories. I love the environment. I'm not going to ever do anything intentionally to hurt the environment. I tell you, environmentalists are tough — you can be with 99.9% of the time, but that 0.1% of the time you're not with them, oh boy, they will persecute you. My point is, it is important for us as Republicans to acknowledge, and I do believe. I believe in climate change. I believe that man has an impact on the climate and that we need to address it. I believe that we should be looking toward cleaner energy and renewable energy. I do believe that. That's why I'm cochair of the Conservative Climate Caucus. That's why I work. That's why I signed those three letters. That's why I'm working diligently on this. I want us to do that, but at the same time, we've got to be careful not to cut our nose off in spite of our face. It needs to be an approach that is sensible and logical. Spector: Do you have any particular priorities regarding some sort of permitting reform or grid interconnection reform? Any dream goals you'd want to work on in the next session? Carter: You know, I don't care what sector of our economy you're talking about, whether you're talking about health care, whether you're talking about communications technology, or whether you're talking about energy. When people and companies come into my office, it is always the same — permitting regulations, crushing us. And that's what we've got to address. I'll give you an example. I think this is relevant. As I said, I represent the city of Savannah. The Savannah Harbor expansion project, where we deepened our harbor from 42 feet to 47 feet in order to accommodate the bigger ships that are coming through — that project was finished in March of 2022. The permitting — this is true — the permitting for that project started in 1996. In that period of time, China has started and completed three new ports. The point I'm trying to make here: We can do a better job than this without endangering our environment, and we need to do a better job. It doesn't matter what part of our economy you're talking about, there are people coming to my office and saying permitting is killing us. Spector: Is there any other message you'd like to leave our crowd with here? You know, on the future of clean energy in America? Carter: Well, again, I'm proud of the state of Georgia. I'm proud of what we've done. We've been a pro-business state, and again, we've led in clean energy, nuclear energy, solar energy, all of it. I know some of y'all don't like biomass, but I happen to like it, and if you look at the entire cycle, I think you agree that biomass, too, is something we should be looking at. And as I mentioned before, we've got a lot of pine trees in Georgia, so biomass is really big too. Spector: Congressman, thank you for being here at Canary Live. Let's give him a show of appreciation. Thank you and have a great rest of your week.
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