Taiwan regards the waters off its eastern coast as critical wartime supply routes in the event of an emergency.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said Beijing was seeking to “manufacture a fictional administrative presence” through patrols in the area. The agency said China was using “fake law enforcement and real expansion of power” to create an illusion of jurisdiction, and argued that the actions breached international law and harmed regional peace and stability.
China began law-enforcement patrols in waters east of Taiwan in June. Taiwanese official data recorded a high of 244 Chinese coast guard, scientific research and other vessels around Taiwan’s main island in July, followed by 152 vessels detected in the first 21 days of August.
On Saturday, a formation led by the vessel Hushi carried out what China Coast Guard spokesman Jiang Lue described as routine law-enforcement patrols east of Taiwan. He said: “Since October, the Hushi task group has been strengthening control over the relevant waters to effectively ensure orderly navigation and activities.”
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration sent the patrol vessel Jian to shadow the mainland Chinese formation.
The detected fleet has included a large coast guard component. Taiwan said about 60 percent of the vessels were coast guard ships, while research vessels and other government boats accounted for the remainder.
Taiwan said it had driven away 16 Chinese coast guard, research and fishing vessels taking part in simultaneous “maritime harassment” operations. It said the vessels, including four fishing boats, operated at multiple locations and engaged in “hybrid warfare.”
The operations took place off Taiwan’s eastern, southern and southwestern coastlines, and around Pratas.
Near Pratas on 1 October, Taiwan’s coast guard used a water cannon against a Chinese recreational fishing vessel.
In another encounter, a China Coast Guard ship entered restricted waters northeast of Pratas and broadcast that “the so-called Republic of China does not exist”. A Taiwanese ship replied that “the Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign and independent country.”
The mainland Chinese cutter CCG 3102 also operated in “dark vessel” mode, with its automatic identification system disabled, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration.
Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s National Security Council Secretary-General, said China had no legal claim to the waters east of Taiwan.
Randall Schriver, chair of the US Congress’ US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, called persistent China Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan “highly destabilizing”. He said: “This is an extension of legal warfare and political and information warfare. This is highly destabilizing if they continue to operationalize this law enforcement role.”
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