Taiwan is putting more money and better facilities into its coast guard in the Matsu islands, a plus for frontline crews facing Chinese pressure at sea and for the security of undersea cables.

• Premier Cho Jung-tai toured coast guard stations on Matsu, which sits just off China's coast, and said many of the buildings no longer meet needs and will be rebuilt.
• The government will add pay bonuses for coast guard fleet crews next year, buy more patrol ships, and fund new gear to fight smuggling rings.
• The coast guard is now a key defender of undersea cables, which China-linked ships have been suspected of cutting.
• Cho praised a Taiwanese patrol crew that told a Chinese coast guard ship over the radio that Taiwan is a sovereign country and that Chinese ships entering its waters break international law.
• Matsu's county chief backed the plan, offering land for a new station closer to the shore and noting local crews have boarded Chinese sand-dredging ships at real risk to their lives.

Outlook: Expect new coast guard stations on Matsu over the next few years as Taiwan keeps hardening its outlying islands against Chinese coast guard and gray-zone pressure.