Taipei - China has long tried to intimidate Taiwan with its huge navy, air force and the world's largest permanent troops, but only Ding Hezhe has now caused the greatest shock.

The Taiwan Coast Guard has recorded five cases, with a total of 38 Chinese citizens crossing the 160 km (100 miles) wide Taiwan Strait, distinguishing autonomous island democracy from authoritarian mainland China.

Among them is at least one case posted in the Chinese version of Tiktok Douyin, in which a man speaks with a strong Chinese accent casting a Chinese flag on the beach he says. The scene in the background seems to show a series of coastlines south of the capital Taipei.

China claims Taiwan is its own territory and will be conquered by force if necessary. The man has not been found or publicly identified and Taiwanese authorities are seeking to determine whether he has received help from anyone on the island.

Another case involves a father and son who were arrested shortly after arriving at the land, a man and a fishing port in a popular tourist area in northern Taipei.

The boats are small in size, and some are just inflatables that have fun on the beach, which makes it difficult for Taiwanese radar to pick it up. More cameras and other detection equipment and manpower are needed to cover the vast space of the spacious coastline around the island, but the terrain will make China's D-Day landing highly challenging.

While such cases are not unheard of, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te designated China as the enemy to defend as the tensions between the sides, while China held frequent military exercises that were seen as practices to invade or boycott Taiwan due to rising tensions between the two sides.

Those who enter Taiwan illegally should be fined 500,000 Taiwan dollars ($16,666) and five years in prison, but such fines are usually exempted as long as no one is injured and no property damage. In the 1990s, the Chinese hijacked Taiwan for a while, but the perpetrator was sent home after serving a brief sentence in Taiwan.

In addition to facing China's strong military, Taiwan also faces a series of so-called "gray zone" strategies, including in the media and among artists who want to gain access to a large Chinese market. Taiwan also expelled the Taiwanese man's Chinese wife to post videos supporting the island's acquisition.

Hsieh said the boat landing could be a further attempt to confuse and undermine confidence among the public.