In brief
Taiwan's Coast Guard has protested a new Chinese patrol off its east coast, labeling the operation a harassment of shipping and a prelude to a potential blockade. China, asserting sovereignty over Taiwan, has increased coast guard activity in the area since June, prompting Taiwan to deploy its own vessels for monitoring. Experts warn that the eastern waters are critical for Allied supply routes and that Chinese presence near the Pratas Islands heightens strategic risks.
Taipei – Taiwan’s Coast Guard on Saturday accused China’s coast guard of harassing shipping with a new patrol off the island’s east coast, claiming the ships were using radio communications to “expand power” and threaten regional stability.
China has stepped up coast guard activity off Taiwan’s east coast since June, sending vessels on regular patrols that Taiwan says are carriers of a potential maritime blockade. The Taiwan Coast Guard sent its own ships to keep watch, saying it could expel any Chinese vessels attempting to enter its exclusive economic zone.
"Our country holds sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone east of Taiwan, and China has absolutely no jurisdiction over any of Taiwan's waters," the Coast Guard said in a statement. It said China’s radio messages were a “clear expansion of power that violate international law, undermine regional peace and stability.
The Chinese coast guard broadcast a radio message saying it was carrying out law‑enforcement duties and offering help if needed. The message was shown to be addressed to an unidentified fishing trawler, the Taiwanese statement noted.
China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory, has denied any sovereignty claim by Taipei. It has increased its presence in the eastern waters after a series of incidents involving Chinese vessels that Taiwan says were harassing trader ships and intercepting them in its exclusive economic zone.
Taiwan’s officials warned that the area off the eastern coast is strategically vital for wartime supply routes from allies in the event of a blockade or conflict. It has deployed more than a dozen vessels to patrol the zone, and the coast guard said it had expelled Chinese coast guard vessels from the Pratas Islands 13 times this year.
The Pratas Islands lie roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, and are considered vulnerable to Chinese attack because they lie more than 400 km (250 miles) from Taiwan. Security experts point out that Japan, the United States, and Australia have expressed concern about Chinese activity near the island group.
China also sent a coast guard ship close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, a move Taipei said further provoked fears of an escalating conflict. The Taiwanese Coast Guard said it had entered the waters in the east of the Taiwan Strait and participated in monitoring and reporting the situation to its headquarters in Taipei.
Analysts point out that the incident is part of a larger pattern of increased Chinese maritime activity in the Taiwan Strait and the surrounding high‑traffic region, which includes shipping lanes used by international commercial vessels and military logistics.
"The presence of Chinese coast guard vessels around Taiwan can be interpreted as a trial run for a potential blockade," said a security expert who preferred to remain unnamed. The expert highlighted the need for a robust international response to prevent any unilateral actions that might incite a broader maritime confrontation.
China’s then‑minister of Foreign Affairs had said recently that any incident in the waters was a misinterpretation of Chinese maritime law and that it had no interest in destabilizing the area. Beijing has stated that it is defending its ‘national sovereignty and security,’ while Laos and Russia have urged restraint.
The incident underscores rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait and raises questions about the legal framework governing maritime jurisdiction, the use of radio communications in contested waters, and the likelihood of a larger maritime confrontation involving third‑party powers such as the United States or Japan.
