Chinese coast guard vessels pushed into Taiwan-controlled waters around Kinmen twice in one afternoon and were driven off both times, a sign that pressure on Taiwan's front-line islands is picking up.

• Four Chinese coast guard ships crossed into Kinmen's restricted waters in the morning, were expelled, then came back a few hours later.
• The second time they changed formation, splitting east and west instead of moving in a single line, apparently to stretch Taiwan's response across several points at once.
• Taiwan's coast guard shadowed each ship one-on-one and ordered them out by radio in Chinese and English, clearing the area by early evening.
• Taiwan says it is holding a "no avoidance, no retreat" line and watching around the clock for this kind of gray-zone pressure — harassment that stays just below open conflict.

Outlook: These probing runs are likely to keep coming, with Beijing testing how fast and how far Taiwan's ships will respond.