Mainland China’s ship activity near Taiwan hits record for third month in a row

Mainland Chinese coast guard vessels have been seen near Taiwan at record levels for the third month in a row, according to Taiwan's defense ministry. In the first 24 days of August, the ministry detected 118 such vessels, surpassing the 117 and 111 sightings in July and June respectively. This level of activity is higher than any previous month since Taiwan began tracking it in July 2024.

The increase aligns with a report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), which noted an "assertive presence" by mainland Chinese law-enforcement and survey vessels in waters east of Taiwan. The sightings were concentrated in areas where Chinese, Japanese and Philippine maritime claims overlap. Two China Coast Guard vessels accounted for much of the activity, with a third patrolling since August 4.

Beijing's operations extended beyond the contested boundary zone, with survey vessels often operating within 50 nautical miles of Taiwan. Beijing describes these operations as necessary responses to unilateral actions by Japan and the Philippines, while condemning the Tokyo-Manila talks as "illegal, null and void". The sustained presence of Chinese vessels could potentially act as a rehearsal for a maritime quarantine of commercial shipping by mainland China, or serve military uses such as collecting data on subsea environments.

Analysts argue that Beijing's expanded maritime operations mirror its behavior in other disputed maritime areas, potentially reflecting a long-term strategy.