China's Coast Guard Patrols East of Taiwan Signal New Maritime Normal, Analysts Say

China has signalled its intent to maintain a new coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, analysts say, as Beijing steps up its maritime activities around the island that it claims as part of its territory. The patrols, which began in June, represent a shift in China's enforcement tactics in the Western Pacific.

During the initial operation, Chinese coast guard ships for the first time contacted cargo ships passing through the area, requesting information about their crew and destination. Chinese state media said the move was a response to recent talks between Japan and the Philippines on maritime boundaries. However, officials in Taipei described the action as 'expansionism in disguise', and several Western governments expressed concern.

Since June, a second group of Chinese coast guard vessels has replaced the first, according to a spokesperson for the China Coast Guard. 'We will continue law enforcement patrols,' the spokesperson said. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a group that monitors China's maritime activities, described the development as 'China essentially announcing a new normal'.

China routinely deploys fighter jets and navy ships near Taiwan, and coast guard ships frequently enter waters near Taiwan's outer islands. However, until June, the coast guard's presence in waters east of Taiwan was limited to 'blockade-style military exercises', said William Yang, a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group.

Gregory Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the patrols went 'beyond just political signalling'. He added, '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.'

Su Tzu-yun, a military expert at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the patrols were establishing 'new operational norms'. 'By conducting radio verification procedures for passing commercial vessels, China is essentially rehearsing the mechanisms required for a future blockade or quarantine,' he said.

Taiwan's National Security Bureau director-general Tsai Ming-yen reported on Monday that four Chinese formations, including warships, were operating in the Western Pacific, noting an 'upward trend' in mobilisation during China's peak maritime exercise season. National Security Council chief Joseph Wu said on social media that over 110 Chinese naval and coast guard vessels had been tracked along the First Island Chain.

In response, Taiwan has deployed two of its own coast guard vessels to monitor the Chinese ships. The Chinese patrols have generally been operating between 74 and 124 nautical miles (137-230 kilometres) from Taiwan's shores, which Taiwanese officials say is within the island's exclusive economic zone.

During last month's operation, Taiwan heard for the first time a Chinese coast guard vessel contacting three passing cargo ships for crew numbers and destination. One of the ships, a Singapore-flagged container vessel, complied with the request, according to a senior Taiwanese coast guard official.

Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en said on Wednesday that China had attempted to 'establish a model where the shipping community feels the need to report to them', but that the attempt had failed. 'We will make sure that [the patrols are] not permanent because they are not supposed to be here,' he said, adding that China must be stopped 'at the early stage'.

The development adds to longstanding tensions in the region. China has consistently opposed Taiwan's separate administration and conducts regular military and paramilitary activities to assert its claims. The coast guard patrols are the latest in a series of steps that analysts say are aimed at gradually expanding China's influence over the waters around Taiwan.