Taiwan is stepping up its defenses against China's constant low-level pressure at sea, a sign the Taiwan Strait standoff is settling into a long grind rather than easing.

• China is using "salami-slicing" tactics — small, repeated intrusions meant to blur the line, wear down Taiwan's resolve, and slowly shift the status quo.
• Taiwan's answer is threefold: better tracking of what happens in its waters, publicly exposing Chinese moves, and deeper cooperation with foreign partners.
• New laws are in force to protect undersea internet cables, with over a dozen ships fined this year for hiding their identity or switching off tracking systems — nearly all of them foreign.
• Ports are being treated as critical infrastructure, with backup plans so cargo keeps moving if one port is knocked out by attack or blockade.
• British and Japanese experts urged Taiwan to keep shipping companies confident during a crisis, lean on drones and sea surveillance as a force multiplier against China's much larger fleet, and handle early provocations by armed fishing boats at a civilian level to avoid escalation.

Outlook: Expect more joint navy–coast guard escort drills, tighter enforcement against suspicious ships, and closer Taiwan–Japan coordination as China's pressure campaign continues.