Taiwan Expels 16 Chinese Vessels in Simultaneous Operation Across Four Maritime Zones

Taiwan's Coast Guard reported that it intercepted and expelled 16 Chinese vessels conducting maritime harassment activities around Taiwan's main island and the disputed Pratas Islands, also known as Dongsha. The fleet included 12 official vessels, among them coast guard cutters and research ships, as well as four steel-hulled fishing boats, which acted simultaneously at four different points along Taiwan's perimeter.

Southwest of Kaohsiung, a Chinese research vessel and a fishing boat interfered with the Taiwanese vessel Wan Fa Cheng 11, prompting the patrol ship Pingtung to intervene to protect the local crew. Off the east coast, near Hualien, the Chinese scientific research vessel Tansuo-3 entered restricted waters and was intercepted by a patrol ship that radioed demands for its immediate withdrawal. Further south, near Eluanbi, the vessel Beidiao 996 entered restricted waters past midnight and only changed course after receiving 12 radio warnings from a Hengchun patrol unit.

The fourth flashpoint occurred at Dongsha Atoll in the disputed South China Sea, where Chinese Coast Guard cutters 3301 and 3303 circled the island. The Taiwanese vessels Qijin and Taichung drove them out of the restricted area around midday, marking, according to both sources, at least the twelfth such expulsion so far this year.

Taiwanese authorities described these operations as hybrid warfare aimed at altering the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and projecting a false claim of jurisdiction over the region. According to official figures cited by both outlets, 244 Chinese coast guard, research and government vessels were detected near Taiwan in July, compared to just 30 in May, amid near-daily deployments of Chinese warships. China began conducting law enforcement patrols east of Taiwan in June, which Taipei called provocative and expansionist.

The Chinese government maintained that its coast guard is simply safeguarding order in the atoll area, which is claimed by both sides. Zhang Han, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, stated that China holds indisputable sovereignty over the Pratas Islands and their adjacent waters, and that Chinese vessels effectively protect the legitimate rights of people on both sides of the Strait. Beijing further warned that Taiwan would have to bear the consequences for using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near the Pratas.

Chiu Chui-cheng, head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said Beijing seeks to domesticate the Taiwan issue in order to create the illusion of de facto jurisdiction over its surrounding waters and coastal islands. The official assessed that, ahead of Xi Jinping's confirmation for a fourth term next year, China's policy toward Taiwan will shift toward a more aggressive and provocative strategy of exercising jurisdiction before achieving unification.