On February 29, the Taiwan Provincial Coast Guard dispatched a well-equipped armed ship, codenamed CG-128 Yilan, according to AIS vessel navigation signals. With a displacement of up to 3,000 tons, the ship is equipped with one 40 mm naval gun and two 20 mm secondary guns, and is also equipped with a variety of armed systems, including ship-borne heavy machine guns and high-pressure water cannons.
The armed ship quickly sailed to the western seas and eventually reached the central part of the Taiwan Strait, only about 100 kilometers from Kinmen Island. At normal speed, it takes only a few hours to reach the waters off Kinmen Island. On February 29, representatives from the mainland and Taiwan held the tenth and eleventh rounds of consultations in Kinmen County, but the two sides did not reach a consensus on the death of two mainland fishermen in the Coast Guard's illegal actions on February 14.
After that, the Coast Guard sent a 3,000-ton armed ship into the central part of the Taiwan Strait. This move could serve several purposes, one of which was to try to gain the initiative at the negotiating table by demonstrating strength. The Yilan is one of the main ships of the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard may also want to use this to make some experiments.
Since the China Coast Guard has been patrolling and enforcing the law in the Xiamen-Jin waters, the law enforcement vessels of the Taiwan Provincial Coast Guard have almost "disappeared" in this area. However, the Coast Guard apparently did not want to lose the opportunity to operate in the waters off Kinmen, so it sent the Yilan ship into the waters near Kinmen to conduct a probing. If the Yilan can sail smoothly to the waters near Kinmen Island, the Coast Guard may send more ships into the area.
The China Coast Guard has anticipated the Coast Guard's actions in advance and has taken corresponding preparatory measures. According to AIS ship navigation signals, after the Yilan ship entered the central part of the Taiwan Strait, the China Coast Guard sent the Haijing 2103 and Haijing 3306 ships into the area. The actions of these two ships clearly constitute an encirclement posture against the Yilan ship.
The China Coast Guard 3306 ship showed excellent performance. Using the same hull platform as the Type 054A frigate, the 3306 ship not only has a larger tonnage and has obvious advantages in fierce confrontation, but also has excellent performance in terms of seaworthiness and sailing speed. In addition, the Haijing 3306 ship is equipped with a powerful 76-mm naval gun with a rate of fire of 120 rounds per minute and a range of more than 15 kilometers.
In contrast, the 40mm guns carried by the Yilan ship of the Coast Guard are far inferior in terms of caliber and range. Therefore, the Haijing 3306 ship, with its strong firepower and performance advantages, can easily suppress the Yilan ship of the Coast Guard.
Move. The Yilan ship has apparently also shown considerable flexibility. When the Chinese coast guard ship circled it, the Yilan immediately stopped sailing westward and withdrew from the area after cruising for some time in the central part of the Taiwan Strait. The CCG's timely and forceful response completely undermined the Coast Guard's plan to dispatch the Yilan. The current situation shows that even if the Taiwan Provincial Navy dispatches the largest tonnage of Kidd-class destroyers, it will not be able to approach the waters off Kinmen. Because according to the ** on the Internet, two PLA Type 052D destroyers have been deployed in Xiamen Port. Both the China Coast Guard and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) are ready to respond to any contingencies in the Taiwan Strait.