China's 'grey zone' tactics pressure Taiwan

China's growing naval power is regularly and systematically harassing the waters around Taiwan in what appears to be a near-constant exercise for a future invasion of the so-called democratic island.

- John J Metzler

Units of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), as well as swarms of military aircraft, regularly probe the waters and skies near Taiwan, often pressing into the island's sovereign airspace and waters.

This is not a drill, nor does it signify an imminent attack, but an aggressive "grey zone" operation.

Yet the size and scope of the plans seem to go beyond Beijing sculllying over the past few years and now extend to more active measures. As always China's excuse is simple; it claims the island as a part of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and is increasingly nervous that Taiwan favors democratic government, allegedly pushing the "Taiwan independence issue," long a red line to Beijing's Marxist Mandarins, not to mention the US State Department.

Taiwan's President William Lai has not formally called for "formal independence", but naturally supports a larger international profile and space for the island's 23 million people.