China on Monday dispatched a coast guard flotilla to the waters east of Taiwan to challenge planned talks between Japan and the Philippines to formalize their maritime boundary.
A Chinese statement said it was “a necessary operation” in response to the negotiations, which would seek to delimit neighboring exclusive economic waters and continental shelves in the Philippine Sea, without Beijing’s participation.
Beijing said the decision undermined its “territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests,” referring to its longstanding claim to self-governing Taiwan as well as the maritime claims that derive from it.
China’s sweeping “nine-dash line” claim includes Taiwan and most of the South China Sea, and its claimed exclusive economic zone, or EEZ, overlaps with those of Japan, the Philippines, and at least five other governments in the region.
The Foreign Ministry in Taipei said it welcomed the move and rejected Beijing’s sovereignty claims.
The Chinese coast guard fleet is the largest in the world and rivals that of most Asian navies. It regularly dispatches vessels to enforce territorial and maritime claims—particularly against Japan and the Philippines in the East and South China seas, respectively.
China said the latest patrol was being led by the 5,000-ton cutter Daishan, while Taiwan said it also detected a second ship, the 3,800-ton cutter Baita, in its southeastern waters.
A Taiwan coast guard statement said the pair of Chinese ships was being monitored by the Changbin, a 600-ton offshore patrol vessel.
The agency said it “strongly condemns” the attempt to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty and accused China of “political manipulation and cognitive warfare.”
This is a developing story. More to follow.
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