China’s coast guard has triggered ‘panic’ in Taiwan. That’s only part of Beijing’s plan

News Snapshot:

Hong Kong/Taipei CNN — King Xia, a Taiwanese tourist boat, was taking 23 passengers on a journey around Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen Islands just miles from China’s southeastern coast when it was intercepted by two Chinese coast guard vessels. Six Chinese officers swooped onboard, checking the vessel’s route plan, certificate and the licenses of its 11 crew members in a “forced” inspection that lasted about half an hour, according to Taiwan’s coast guard, which said King Xia had “veered toward” the Chinese side of the water to avoid shoals. The unprecedented encounter with Chinese law enforcement at a time of heightened...