Dredge.

This is coolbert:

To war by sand, Chinese style!

Matsu islands. [Matsu a chain of islands rather than just a single island apparently. Often just referred to as Matsu?]

Thanks to Reuters and their "TROUBLED WATERS" reporting. Article and reporting by Yimou Lee, Photos by Ann Wang, Graphics by Marco Hernandez.

"China’s latest weapon against Taiwan: the sand dredger"

I highly recommend this article without qualification or reservation. Devoted readers should consider this a MUST!

"Chinese dredging ships are swarming Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, forcing the local coast guard to run round-the-clock patrols. The tactic is part of Beijing’s escalating campaign of irregular ‘gray-zone’ warfare on Taipei. Reuters joined the coast guard on patrol""

Matsu Islands. Click on image to see an enlarged view. Very close to the Chinese mainland. Actually that distance ranges from six to fourteen miles [ten to twenty-two kilometers], well within Chinese artillery range. Matsu and Quemoy both  bombarded during the First and Second Formosa Strait Crisis of the 1950's. Thank you Reuters.

"The sand-dredging is one weapon China is using against Taiwan in a campaign of so-called gray-zone warfare, which entails using irregular tactics to exhaust a foe without actually resorting to open combat. Since June last year, Chinese dredgers have been swarming around the Matsu Islands, dropping anchor and scooping up vast amounts of sand from the ocean bed for construction projects in China."

See this image the Matsu Islands rather very remote from Taiwan proper in comparison to the Chinese mainland. Matsu Islands as indicated in orange with the arrow about one hundred miles [one-hundred sixty kilometers] from Taipei city. In peril.

Reuters article very well done with regard to images and graphics. Superb even! Thank you Reuters.

coolbert.