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China has launched a second coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting Taipei to deploy vessels and vow to expel Chinese ships from its waters. The move signals Beijing's intent to maintain a sustained presence in the area, according to analysts, as tensions over Western Pacific waters off Taiwan continue to rise.

China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan to replace a task force whose presence off the island's coast has angered Taipei and caused alarm in some Western capitals, as reported by the Jerusalem Post. The fleet will conduct "law enforcement patrols" in the area, China's Coast Guard said in a statement, adding it would strengthen such patrols in what it called China's jurisdictional waters.

Coverage Comparison

The Jerusalem Post framed the story as China's coast guard patrol sparking tensions with Taiwan, while The Hindu emphasized China's "expansionism" in the Western Pacific. Both outlets reported the basic facts: China's new patrol, Taiwan's response, and the June operation that preceded it.

The Hindu noted that China Coast Guard vessels patrolling the waters since June have been replaced by a second group that will "continue law enforcement patrols," according to China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue. The Jerusalem Post reported that this is the second time in roughly a month that China has sent Coast Guard ships into the waters off Taiwan's east coast.

Key Claims

  • China has signalled its intent to maintain a new coast guard patrol east of Taiwan. Tensions over Western Pacific waters off Taiwan spiked after the Chinese coast guard and other ships launched their first "law enforcement operation" in that area in June.
  • China Coast Guard vessels patrolling the waters since then have been replaced by a second group that will "continue law enforcement patrols."
  • China deploys fighter jets and navy ships around Taiwan on an almost daily basis.
  • Taiwan has responded to China's new coast guard patrol by deploying two of its own coast guard vessels to monitor the two Chinese ships.
  • China said the first operation in June was in response to an announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries.
  • Taiwan said Taiwanese ships off the east coast should ignore any boarding and inspection demands by China's Coast Guard.

Perspectives

China's View

Beijing views Taiwan as its own territory and considers the island and the waters around it as part of China. China has said the first operation in June was in response to an announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, which Beijing viewed as involving Chinese waters off Taiwan.

Taiwan's Response

Taipei has branded the Chinese actions as "expansionism in disguise" and has deployed its own coast guard vessels to monitor the Chinese ships. Taiwan said Taiwanese ships off the east coast should ignore any boarding and inspection demands by China's Coast Guard, and if necessary Taiwanese Coast Guard vessels would intervene. In response to the new patrol, Taiwan's Coast Guard said it had deployed monitoring vessels and would use "all necessary measures to forcefully expel Chinese vessels harassing our waters."

Analysts' Interpretation

Several analysts see the patrols as a significant shift. "China is essentially announcing a new normal," Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, which monitors China's maritime activities, told AFP. Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the patrols were "beyond just political signalling." "Beijing appears to be claiming vast law enforcement rights across its claimed exclusive economic zone that go far beyond what is allowed by international law," Poling said. William Yang, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, noted that until June, China Coast Guard's presence in waters east of Taiwan had been limited to "blockade-style military exercises." Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, also commented on the patrols.

Several Western governments have expressed concern over the "novel" activity, and the diplomatic dispute has drawn in the US, France, Germany, and Britain, according to the Jerusalem Post.