China dispatches coast guard ships east of Taiwan for second time in weeks

Second patrol in weeks

On Saturday, a Chinese coast guard flotilla led by the vessel Xiushan replaced an earlier formation that had been operating east of Taiwan since June, state broadcaster CCTV reported. A spokesperson said the patrols would continue and be intensified, describing the area as China's "own territorial waters." The ships were located about 54 nautical miles (100 km) east of Hualien, home to a key Taiwanese air force base, but remained outside restricted zones.

We will resolutely safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

Taiwan's response

Taiwan's coast guard dispatched two of its own vessels to track and monitor the Chinese ships. Officials said they would take all necessary measures to forcefully expel any Chinese vessels that harass Taiwan's waters. The Mainland Affairs Council, which handles cross-strait policy, rejected Beijing's claims outright.

Beijing possesses no sovereignty, no jurisdiction, and no sovereign powers in the waters east of Taiwan.

Taiwan also asserted its sovereign rights and jurisdiction within its exclusive economic zone. Earlier in the week, on Wednesday, Taipei had instructed merchant ships off the east coast to ignore any inspection demands from Chinese coast guard and to deny boarding, with its own forces ready to intervene.

International concern

The deployments have drawn criticism from Western governments. In late June, the de facto embassies of Germany, France, and the United Kingdom in Taiwan issued a joint statement warning that the activities "threaten regional stability as well as freedom of navigation and the safety of international shipping." Observers see Beijing's use of coast guard vessels as an attempt to assert legal and administrative control over the waters, a tactic Taiwan has labeled "lawfare."

Broader context

China views Taiwan as part of its territory and has increased military and paramilitary pressure in recent years. The latest patrols come amid separate tensions over maritime boundaries: China's Ministry of Natural Resources released an English-language legal opinion on Thursday criticizing planned talks between Japan and the Philippines on delimiting their sea borders. Beijing considers the waters in question to be its own and called the negotiations inadmissible. Taiwan, recognized by only a handful of states but backed militarily by the United States, insists China has no right to claim sovereignty or jurisdiction over the island or its surrounding waters.