The Man Arrested By Taiwan Coast Guard At The End Of Last Week Turned Out To Be A Former Captain Of The Chinese Navy

Illustration of the flags of China and Taiwan. (Source: Stanford News.edu)

JAKARTA - A Chinese man who was arrested after his speedboat entered Taipei port illegally, it turns out that the former naval captain is suspected of investigating the island's defense, senior Taiwanese official said on Tuesday.

Taiwanese coast guard arrested the man on Sunday in the Tamsui coastal neighborhood, after his ship entered the river leading to Taipei.

Head of Taiwan's Maritime Affairs Council, which manages coast guard, Kuan Bi-ling told reporters in parliament the man was " fairly polite and well-looking" and had previously been China's naval captain.

"Looking at the accumulated cases in the past, we cannot rule out that this is a test," he said, referring to Taiwan's ability to find such ships.

"Over the past year or so, there have been 18 similar cases, most of which involve Taiwan-controlled islands located next to the Chinese coast," said Kuan.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Defense Minister Wellington Koo, who also spoke to reporters in parliament, said the ship's incident could be another example of the Bamboo Curtain country's "grey zone" tactics against the island.

Separately, the Taiwan Affairs Office in China and its Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment on this matter.

Taiwan has complained in recent years about the so-called gray zone warfare Beijing uses designed to exhaust enemies with irregular tactics without using open combat, such as reconnaissance balloons floating over the island.

"The gray zone tactics are always there," said Koo.

"We must always maintain our vigilance and cannot rule out the possibility of taking countermeasures," he said.

In March, two Taiwanese fishermen lost into Chinese waters near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen archipelago, which is located next to the Chinese coast. One of them, a Taiwanese military officer, is still being held in China, while the other was released immediately after that.

It is known, this incident occurred amid ongoing tensions between Taiwan and China.

China itself views the democratically-ruled island as its own territory. However, Taipei firmly rejected the claim.