Taipei [Taiwan], August 27 : China has sharply increased the presence of coast guard, research and other civilian vessels around Taiwan, with the scale of activity reaching levels described as unprecedented by maritime security experts.
According to data cited by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA), 244 Chinese vessels were detected in waters around Taiwan last month, compared with 55 in June and 30 in May. The Taipei Times reported that the figure represents an average of nearly eight Chinese vessels operating in the area every day.
Around 60 per cent of the vessels detected last month were Chinese coast guard ships, while the figures did not include Chinese naval vessels, which are regularly deployed around Taiwan. The Taipei Times noted that 152 Chinese vessels were detected during the first 21 days of this month, taking the total number recorded since May to 1,247.
A CGA official described the situation as becoming "increasingly severe," highlighting growing concerns over Beijing's expanding maritime activities around the island.
The increasing involvement of Chinese research vessels has also drawn attention. Ryan D. Martinson of the US Naval War College's China Maritime Studies Institute said data collected by civilian research institutes can be shared with China's military and is particularly valuable for submarine and anti-submarine warfare. While he said the tactic itself is not new, its current scale is unprecedented. The Taipei Times cited Martinson as saying the operations demonstrate an escalation in Beijing's efforts to assert jurisdiction over waters around Taiwan while placing additional pressure on its leadership.
One recent case involved China's Xiang Yang Hong 03 research vessel, which was observed operating alongside a China Coast Guard ship and a fishing vessel linked to China's maritime militia. Jason Wang of ingeniSPACE said this was the first known instance of a Chinese research vessel being escorted by maritime militia in Taiwanese waters.
According to Wang, the mission was aimed at collecting updated hydrographic information from the Ryukyu and East Taiwan trenches to support anti-submarine warfare while potentially restricting similar activities by US and allied forces.