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If they do make a move, the first thing people see is not what they usually expect: fishing trawlers. A lot of them will leave from Chinese ports going somewhere. If they really do it soon, as you said, they may be already out there. PLA fields its own fleets of fishing trawlers. They do more than catching fish. They could be armed and operated by military personnel.

They pretend to catch fish and then some of them claim that they have engine problem, using it as an excuse to land on one of small Taiwanese islands. They are followed by other trawlers, ostensibly to help them. If Taiwanese military tries to stop them, Chinese will pick a fight. The ensuing violence would be broadcast live on Chinese media, inciting population into a frenzy.

Then "Patriotic" Chinese navy and air force will be mobilized to "rescue" them. Their media will be filled with non-stop broadcast of people wishing for the safe return of poor "fishermen" and outpouring of support for "brave" Chinese military.

It would be interesting if this will end up as a Chinese rout. Xi will risk his ouster if he does nothing. Probably, his only option is escalation.