Taiwan flags Chinese militia ship near Pacific coast amid blockade concerns

New Delhi: Taiwan is watching for a growing Chinese maritime presence beyond the waters closest to mainland China. A recent sighting off the island’s eastern coast has added to concerns that Beijing is using fishing boats and other civilian vessels to strengthen its position at sea without resorting to direct military action.

Taiwan’s coast guard shared details of the incident with Reuters on Friday. It said a fishing boat named Minfudingyu 07902 approached to within 2.7 nautical miles of Taiwan’s restricted waters on August 16. The coast guard sent a patrol boat to drive it away after identifying it alongside a Chinese coast guard ship and a research vessel.

The incident has drawn attention to how China deploys different types of vessels together. Taiwan’s coast guard said similar activity had increased since June in maritime areas involving Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines.

Why Taiwan is concerned

Taipei believes the deployments may serve a purpose beyond routine fishing or maritime research. Its coast guard has linked the activity to China’s efforts to prepare for a potential conflict. It also warned that repeated deployments could stretch the resources needed to monitor the surrounding waters.

The concern centres on China’s use of maritime militia. These are fishing vessels with state-supported crews that can assist Beijing’s maritime objectives. They can work alongside coast guard ships to stay under the radar, while also helping to maintain China’s presence in disputed areas.

This practice is also called a grey-zone strategy. It involves applying pressure without launching an overt military attack. The use of civilian-looking vessels can also make it harder for other governments to decide how to respond.

Much of the attention on Taiwan’s security focuses on the Taiwan Strait, which separates the island from mainland China. The latest incident instead occurred on the Pacific-facing side.

Taiwan’s eastern waters matter because they provide access to important shipping and supply routes. A stronger Chinese presence there could create additional pressure on the island and require its coast guard to monitor more approaches.

Taiwanese officials have also raised the possibility that China is rehearsing elements of a maritime blockade. Such an operation could seek to restrict ships carrying essential supplies to the island. The vessel sighting, however, does not establish that Beijing is preparing to launch one.

A wider dispute over maritime influence

China’s maritime activity is also raising concerns for Japan and the Philippines. Both countries are discussing where their sea boundaries should lie. These waters can extend up to 200 nautical miles from the coast and give countries rights to use nearby natural resources.

Taiwan’s coast guard said coordinated Chinese activity could increase pressure on all three sides. China, Japan and the Philippines have not commented on the reported activity so far.

Beijing maintains that its operations off Taiwan’s eastern coast are lawful because the vessels are operating in Chinese waters. Taiwan rejects this position. China claims the self-governed island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring it under its control.

Taiwan has placed the Minfudingyu 07902 on a priority watchlist because of what its coast guard described as characteristics of maritime militia activity. Surveillance material reviewed by Reuters included radar screenshots, infrared imagery and vessel-tracking data collected by Taiwan’s Apex aviation.