We Joined a Taiwan Coast Guard Mission on the Front Line Against China

The Taiwan Strait is now a crowded front line. Increasing encounters between Chinese and Taiwanese vessels have transformed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into a tinderbox. China’s growing aggression is forcing a fundamental shift for the Taiwanese Coast Guard. Once primarily a maritime law enforcement agency, it now serves as the island democracy’s first line of defense. The Wall Street Journal gained exclusive access to a patrol in these contested waters, documenting Taipei’s efforts to counter Beijing’s intensifying “gray-zone” tactics.