TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s national security team has taken charge of handling the Chinese motorboat incident, Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said on Wednesday (June 12).

The team is well aware of the situation and is “actively discussing and planning follow-up measures with relevant ministries and departments,” Kuo said. 

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) intercepted a Chinese man driving a small motorboat 11 kilometers from the mouth of the Tamsui River on Sunday (June 9). Once in custody, the 60-year-old Chinese man claimed he wanted to defect to Taiwan because he had left comments critical of the Chinese government on messaging apps. 

The team has conducted a review to strengthen coastal radar systems, aerial and maritime patrols, and the identification of vessels, Kuo said. Strengthening overall maritime border security is the goal, she said.

The Coast Guard reprimanded 10 officers for negligence on Tuesday. CGA Deputy Head Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said the failure to stop the motorboat stemmed from poor communications and judgment calls amongst CGA personnel.

The possibility the Chinese motorboat incursion was a gray zone tactic by Beijing cannot be ruled out, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said on Tuesday. National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) on Wednesday said the incursion might have been organized by a Chinese spy ring.