‘Hybrid warfare’: Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese ships

Taiwan’s coastguard says it confronted and drove away 16 Chinese vessels, including coastguard, research and fishing boats, during simultaneous operations around Taiwan’s main island and Pratas. Taipei described the operations as maritime harassment and “hybrid warfare” and accused Beijing of trying to unilaterally change the status quo; some vessels reportedly entered restricted waters. Chinese maritime pressure has intensified: Taiwanese data recorded a record 244 Chinese vessels around the main island in July, compared with 58 in the same month last year.