CMSI Note 26—“Easy Infiltration: The Rise of PRC Small Boat Landings on Taiwan”
Ian Easton, “Easy Infiltration: The Rise of PRC Small Boat Landings on Taiwan,” CMSI Note 26 (Newport, RI: Naval War College China Maritime Studies Institute, 3 November 2026).
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From CMSI Director CAPT Christopher Sharman, USN (Ret.):
China-Taiwan Watchers:
Could seemingly isolated small-boat landings on Taiwan be something more than cases of illegal entry?
Beginning in 2021, at least eight PRC nationals have been arrested after making small-boat crossings of the Taiwan Strait and landing on Taiwan.
Each reported landing occurred at a sensitive location. Five of the eight occurred on known invasion beaches; the other three were at ports and river deltas believed to be of high interest to PLA war planners.
In CMSI Note #26, “Easy Infiltration: The Rise of PRC Small Boat Landings on Taiwan,” CMSI’s Professor Ian Easton meticulously documents these incidents and examines their potential security implications.
Professor Easton begins by exploring what PLA textbooks say about infiltrating undercover operatives into Taiwan to conduct reconnaissance and special missions, placing these activities in the context of PLA amphibious invasion planning.
Professor Easton is careful to note that there is no public evidence establishing that the individuals involved were PLA operatives.
There are, however, reasons to question whether these incidents are entirely unrelated or innocuous.
He examines several possible explanations, including smuggling, espionage, and reconnaissance, ultimately arguing that PLA involvement cannot be ruled out.
This CMSI Note also offers practical recommendations for strengthening Taiwan’s defenses against potential infiltration, including improved coastal surveillance, coast-watcher communities, and the fortification of vulnerable beaches and coastal garrisons.
Richly illustrated with photographs, maps, and media accounts documenting the individual incidents, this note provides a fascinating look at an emerging and potentially consequential dimension of Taiwan’s coastal security challenges.
