A reconnaissance aircraft detected a Chinese maritime group more than 30 nautical miles off the coast of Hualien, Taiwan’s eastern county, in mid-August.
The three vessels were spread across a roughly 10-nautical-mile radius, according to Honor Hung, Apex’s defence and security director. The group included the Minfudingyu 07902, a Chinese militia boat seen with a coast guard cutter and a research vessel off Taiwan’s Pacific coast. It was the first known sighting of such a craft in the area.
A Taiwan official said the vessels were operating in waters not commonly used by Chinese ships, an area authorities had designated for heightened monitoring.
China has increased coast guard patrols off Taiwan’s east coast since June. The official said the three vessels were operating in coordination with Chinese coast guard maritime harassment drills.
Taiwan authorities identified the fishing boat as part of the People’s Liberation Army’s maritime militia fleet. Taiwan’s defence ministry said China’s maritime militia uses fishing boats for harassment while presenting them as law-enforcement or scientific-research vessels. The force consists of fishing vessels whose crews receive training and support for operations in disputed waters, often alongside coast guard ships, a practice dating to the 1950s.
The ministry said China was “using law enforcement and scientific research as cover for harassment, seeking to expand their scope of operations during a non-conflict scenario to create an illusion of de facto jurisdiction.”
Beijing uses militia tactics to enlarge its presence without overt military action. Such grey-zone activity includes regular patrols, cyberattacks and economic coercion, and is intended to alter Taiwan’s security environment. Former President Tsai Ing-wen told a US audience that China had applied sustained pressure through these activities.
China continues to regard Taiwan as part of its territory, a claim Taiwan rejects. Taiwan says it must defend its maritime rights, while its defence ministry said Chinese actions of this kind undermine international order and challenge those rights. Taiwan regards waters off its east coast as critical to supply routes from allies in the event of a blockade or conflict.
Apex uses a civilian light aircraft with a powerful US-made radar that can detect surface objects as small as 900 square centimetres. Its patrols form part of Taiwan’s effort to involve civilian firms in technology relevant to the government’s “whole of society resilience” initiative.
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