TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s top intelligence agency estimates that some cases of Chinese entering the country illegally in small boats amount to a form of gray zone tactics, reports said Saturday.

Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”

In a report to the Legislative Yuan, the National Security Bureau noted the arrivals of Chinese in small boats often coincided with major Chinese military drills targeting Taiwan, per CNA. The official media in China would often spread reports about the incidents to highlight alleged shortcomings in Taiwan’s maritime defenses, the NSB said.

Most of the Chinese involved in the incidents were residents of China’s coastal provinces and had bought their vessel online. They would often claim they wanted to live in a democracy and planned to request political asylum. As the boats were small, they sometimes avoided detection by radar.

The incidents mostly took place in spring and summer, while the most frequent landing places on Taiwan’s main island were Tamsui and Linkou in New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Miaoli. The NSB said it would strengthen cooperation with other countries to exchange information about China’s gray zone tactics at sea.