Taipei, Oct. 26 -- A recent report from a US-based think tank indicates that the Chinese maritime militia is utilising numerous civilian fishing boats to execute "gray zone" strategies in the Taiwan Strait, according to the Taipei Times.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) stated that Beijing is deploying unmarked, dual-use fishing vessels to carry out surveillance and intimidation efforts aimed at coercion and facilitating military operations without provoking open conflict. The CSIS reported on October 8 that its analysts have been tracking GPS and automatic identification system (AIS) signals from 315 China-flagged fishing ships to distinguish those operated by China's maritime militia from other civilian vessels...