Taiwan recorded a sharp increase in Chinese government vessel activity around the island in June, with coast guard and research ships appearing more frequently near waters that Taipei views as central to its maritime security.
Taiwan Coast Guard data put the number of Chinese government vessel sightings at 55 in June, compared with 30 in May and 25 in June of the previous year. The June tally excluded activity around Taiwan-controlled islands close to the Chinese coast.
The increase has drawn attention to the Pacific side of Taiwan, where officials see a possible pressure point in any future crisis. Taipei is preparing exercises that simulate Chinese escalation scenarios and coordination between coast guard and naval forces to protect sea routes used for supplies and outside support.
The pattern also reflects the expanding role of China's coast guard in Beijing's pressure campaign around Taiwan. Chinese military activity near the island is frequent, but Taiwan officials say coast guard operations are increasingly being used to reinforce jurisdictional claims and to reshape routine maritime behavior.
Taiwanese officials said some Chinese coast guard vessels have been converted from former naval destroyers, giving them greater range, endurance and capability than standard patrol ships. They also said Chinese vessels have operated in pairs outside Taiwan's economic waters in the Pacific, adding strain to Taipei's limited coast guard fleet.
Officials described the activity as an attempt to alter the status quo without open conflict. They said Chinese coast guard vessels had questioned merchant ships about port entry and exit information, while Taiwanese authorities responded by instructing those vessels to continue normal navigation and disregard the interference.
