China is using regular Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan to put its sovereignty claims into practice under the appearance of routine maritime law enforcement, according to Randall Schriver, chair of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission.
At a conference in Taipei on Oct. 20, Schriver warned that Beijing’s deployment of Coast Guard vessels east of Taiwan was an extension of its legal, political, and information warfare.
He said the Chinese vessels, many painted white, might appear less threatening than warships, but their ostensibly routine law-enforcement activities were being used to assert Beijing’s sovereignty claims, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA).
Schriver offered an example: If a fishing boat encountered trouble east of Taiwan and a Chinese Coast Guard vessel arrived first to rescue it, the operation might be welcomed as humanitarian assistance. But by performing the rescue, Beijing could also present itself to domestic and international audiences as the legitimate authority responsible for those waters.
Also at the Taipei conference, Schriver called for developing operational responses to such activities, including possible counter-blockade exercises with Japan between Taiwan’s northern port of Keelung and Japan’s Yonaguni Island. He had previously advocated the same exercise in a July interview with ChinaTalk, a podcast and publication focused on China and technology.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Chiu Chui-cheng separately warned on Oct. 20 that Beijing was seeking to establish the appearance of administrative and judicial jurisdiction over Taiwan and its surrounding waters before bringing the island under its control.
From Patrols to Claims of Jurisdiction
Taiwan’s Coast Guard has documented Chinese maritime officials questioning passing foreign merchant ships by radio about their voyages.
On June 9, the Chinese maritime safety vessel Haixun 06 contacted a Liberian-flagged ship east of Su'ao and a Benin-flagged ship east of Sandiao Cape. Taiwanese cutters responded that China had no jurisdiction over the waters and told the vessels to disregard the inquiries.
The merchant ships continued sailing without being boarded or detained, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard.
China has since announced successive Coast Guard deployments east of Taiwan, describing them as routine law-enforcement patrols. Taiwan has documented the ships’ movements and rejected Beijing’s jurisdictional claims.
Taiwan has also taken steps to counter such actions. Wen Lii, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said at an Oct. 14 maritime security conference that an interagency communication mechanism established in June had already been used several times to advise commercial vessels to disregard what Taiwan considers unlawful demands from Chinese Coast Guard ships.
Wen also said Taiwan’s Navy and Coast Guard conducted their first joint anti-blockade escort drill in August, practicing how to protect shipments of critical supplies. The Defense Ministry said the exercise included escorting a simulated merchant vessel through a secured maritime route and transferring supplies ashore.
Ryan Martinson, a researcher at the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute, wrote in an analysis in July that rotating Coast Guard vessels east of Taiwan could help Beijing establish a sustained presence and enable a faster transition to maritime quarantine operations.
“China’s actions are deeply destabilizing,” a State Department spokesman told The Epoch Times in an Oct. 12 statement.
“By asserting authorities around maritime areas that Taiwan has peacefully administered for over 70 years, China only exacerbates tensions and undermines the peaceful resolution of issues that it claims to seek.”
The spokesman urged Beijing to cease its pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected authorities.
Latest Chinese Military and Maritime Activity
On Oct. 18, Taiwan reported 12 Chinese Coast Guard, research and other government vessels, as well as four fishing vessels operating in formation around the island. East of Hualien, the Chinese research vessel Tansuo 3 entered waters Taiwan designates as restricted, prompting radio warnings from a Taiwanese patrol boat.
Other Chinese research vessels entered restricted waters south of Taiwan, while Taiwanese cutters drove two Chinese Coast Guard ships out of restricted waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, also known as Dongsha, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard.
In its Oct. 20 morning report, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry recorded 14 PLA aircraft sorties, seven Chinese naval vessels and seven other Chinese government vessels during the preceding 24 hours. Eight aircraft sorties crossed the Taiwan Strait median line and entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.
In a separate update later that day, the ministry reported 27 PLA aircraft sorties, including H-6 bombers and fighter aircraft. Twenty-one crossed the median line before heading toward the western Pacific for joint air-sea training and long-distance flights.
Another confrontation unfolded on Oct. 20 near the Pratas Islands. Taiwan’s Coast Guard said Chinese Coast Guard vessel 3102 entered restricted waters at approximately 8 a.m. with its automatic identification system switched off. Taiwan’s Taichung cutter shadowed it and repeatedly ordered it to leave.
A crew member aboard Taiwan's Coast Guard cutter Taichung monitors Chinese Coast Guard vessel 3102 near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands on Oct. 20, 2026. Courtesy of Taiwan Coast Guard Administration
During the encounter, the Chinese vessel broadcast a message denying the existence of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name. The Taichung rejected the assertion and demanded that the Chinese vessel leave. Taiwan’s Coast Guard said the confrontation was still continuing when it issued its statement.
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