Taiwan has reported for the first time the appearance of Chinese law enforcement vessels near Taiping Island in the South China Sea, which it controls, in a move that experts say could pave the way for China to establish de facto control over those waters.
This is reported by the South China Morning Post.
The incident came after Beijing accused Taiwanʼs ruling Democratic Progressive Party of inaction amid talks between Japan and the Philippines on maritime delimitation, which could involve exclusive economic zones claimed by both China and Taiwan.
According to the Taiwan Coast Guard, two Chinese vessels — the Sansha Zhifa 301 and Sansha No. 2, both under the control of Sansha City in Hainan Province — entered the 3.2-mile (about 6 km) restricted zone around Taiping Island at 08:28 on Thursday. Within minutes, they approached the 2.1-mile restricted zone designated by Taiwan.
Taiwan said it was the first time Chinese government vessels had entered Taipeiʼs restricted waters near Taiping Island, also known as Itu Aba. According to Taiwan, both vessels were soon pushed back by its coast guard.
It is also reported that on June 5, a Chinese coast guard ship had already entered the prohibited waters around the Pratas (Dongsha) Islands, another archipelago controlled by Taiwan.
What preceded
On the evening of June 6, China launched a “special operation” to control maritime shipping in waters east of Taiwan. China says the purpose of the operation is to “exercise the country’s jurisdiction in the field of maritime administrative law enforcement” and to strengthen patrols and traffic control in these waters.
The reason was the announcement by Japan and the Philippines of the start of negotiations on the delimitation of maritime zones east of the island of Taiwan. Although the countries do not have common borders, they have the right to create an exclusive economic zone that extends 200 nautical miles (370 km) from their coast. These zones intersect right near Taiwan. China considers these negotiations a violation of its sovereignty.
The operation comes amid long-standing fears that China will launch a full-scale war against Taiwan. Beijing has increasingly promised to “reunify” the island with mainland China by 2022. The United States supports Taiwan with weapons but has not explicitly stated whether it would intervene if China attacked.
In mid-May, Axios, citing sources, wrote: The US fears that such an invasion will occur in the next five years.
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