The two sides of the strait have held talks on the 13 ship collision incidents, but the Taiwan side has taken a tough attitude, refuses to compromise, and refuses to apologize, compensate, and return the remains and ships, thus bringing the talks to a deadlock. In the face of such a situation, more assertive means may be needed to exert pressure in order to achieve more benefits. Taiwan's "Coast Guard" dispatched a 3,000-ton Yilan ship to Kinmen, demonstrating their determination.
Originally deployed in northern Taiwan, the Yilan was mainly responsible for patrolling and protecting the Diaoyu Islands, but it is rarely seen near the islands. The most recent appearance was during a heavy water cannon attack on the mainland side, which was very different from the behavior of the Japanese sea guard ships.
On 28 February, the Yilan ship of Taiwan's "Coast Guard" set off from Taipei, passed through the Taiwan Strait, and headed for Kinmen. At the same time, there are a large number of coast guard ships in the Xiajin Sea area on a group cruise, but the Yilan ship may have an advantage in performance. However, when the Yilan ship approached Kinmen, it suddenly stopped, because a Type 054A coast guard version of the 3306 ship had approached.
Launched in 2014, the Kaohsiung-class patrol ship is the current flagship of Taiwan's Coast Guard, with an impressive displacement of 3,719 tons and a maximum speed of 24 knots.
The ship is still young and equipped with a powerful ** system, including 2 20mm cannons, 1 40mm naval gun, as well as multiple machine guns and water cannons, making it excellent in tasks such as escort and dispersal at sea.
In the Xiajin waters, the mainland coast guard has also assembled on a considerable scale, including the 2103 ships, 2202 ships, 2203 ships, and 14608 ships. Despite the fact that the 14608 ship had a tonnage of more than 4000 tons, it was not equipped with large-caliber artillery.
The Haijing 2202 and 2203 ships were improved from the Navy's Type 053H2G frigates, although the main guns and anti-ship missiles were removed, and only four 37mm close-in defense guns were retained. This makes them a certain gap with the Yilan ship in terms of firepower and tonnage.
It is envisaged that the Yilan ship can smoothly reach the waters of Kinmen and cooperate with the small boats of the Kinmen Coast Guard, although it will not cause too much commotion, but it is enough to show its presence. Such an operation could at least confront the coast guard head-on, rather than hide and dodge when encountered. However, the mainland coast guard apparently came prepared, mobilized the Haijing 3306 ship from Guangzhou to come to support, and set up surveillance near the Yilan ship.
The 3306 is not an ordinary coast guard ship, but a large coast guard ship based on the Type 054A frigate. Outwardly almost identical to the Type 054A frigates. It has a full load displacement of more than 4,000 tons and a maximum speed of 28 knots. Due to the use of the first built hull, it is more solid, both in tonnage and speed, it is stronger than the Yilan ship.
In order to meet the needs of maritime law enforcement, the 3306 ship is also equipped with a 76-mm main gun, which has a firing range of up to 17 kilometers and a firing height of up to 6 kilometers, which can strike and intercept sea and air targets. In addition, it is equipped with two Type 630 close-in defense guns, which are obviously superior to the Yilan ship in terms of ** armament, and can even solve problems outside the firing range.
After the comparison of strength, the self-confidence of the Yilan ship was seriously hit, and it almost always stayed in place, not daring to act rashly. According to the track displayed by the AIS ship news network, the 2103 and 3306 ships of the mainland coast guard directly blocked the Yilan ship in the middle of the strait today. Although there was no conflict, it was clear that the Yilan ship's plan to go to Kinmen had been dashed. Originally, they wanted to show their strength, but now they got into trouble, and Taiwan's "Coast Guard" once again misjudged the situation.