Chinese Militia Vessel Spotted Off Taiwan’s Pacific Coast in First Known Sighting

A Chinese fishing vessel identified as part of Beijing’s maritime militia was spotted off Taiwan’s east coast in August alongside a coast guard cutter and research ship, marking the first known sighting of such a militia vessel in the strategically sensitive area.

A surveillance report by Taiwan-based Apex Aviation, reviewed by Reuters, identified the vessel as Minfudingyu 07902, a fishing boat that also serves as a Chinese maritime militia craft. It was detected more than 30 nautical miles off Hualien County in mid-August while operating in the same general area as China Coast Guard vessel 2502 and the research ship Xiang Yang Hong 03.

Two senior Taiwanese officials briefed on the incident told Reuters that authorities had confirmed all three vessels were operating near Taiwan and had identified Minfudingyu 07902 as part of the People’s Liberation Army-linked maritime militia fleet.

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China’s maritime militia is made up largely of fishing vessels that can support government operations while still appearing civilian. They have been especially active in the South China Sea, often operating alongside Chinese coast guard ships. That makes the sighting off Taiwan’s Pacific coast particularly significant, since such vessels have rarely been documented in waters east of the island.

Testing de facto jurisdiction

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Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said Beijing was using the appearance of law-enforcement and scientific-research activity to expand its presence without crossing the threshold into open conflict. China was “using law enforcement and scientific research as cover for harassment, seeking to expand their scope of operations during a non-conflict scenario to create an illusion of de facto jurisdiction,” the ministry told Reuters.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said the Chinese vessels remained outside Taiwan’s restricted waters, but that authorities tracked their movements continuously and responded as appropriate.

The area off Taiwan’s Pacific coast is considered strategically important because it would be critical to outside supply routes during any blockade or conflict. Taiwanese officials have increasingly warned that Beijing is combining military, coast guard, research, and civilian vessels in overlapping operations around the island.

Though Taiwan operates as an independent nation since its establishment in 1949, Beijing views the island as a “breakaway province,” and has vowed to reclaim it by any means necessary, even if that means resorting to military force to achieve unification under its “One China” policy. 

US calls activity ‘deeply destabilizing’

The U.S. State Department criticized China’s expanding activity east of Taiwan. “China’s actions are deeply destabilizing,” a State Department spokesperson said. “By asserting authorities around maritime areas that Taiwan has peacefully administered for over 70 years, China only exacerbates tensions and undermines the peaceful resolution of issues that it claims to seek.”

“We urge Beijing to cease its pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected authorities,” the spokesperson added.

The latest incident follows a broader increase in Chinese maritime activity east of Taiwan this year. In June, China dispatched coast guard and other government vessels into the area for what Beijing described as a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation,” citing planned maritime-boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines. Taiwan rejected Beijing’s claim to jurisdiction over the waters.

Britain, France, and Germany issued a rare joint statement at the time warning that the activity threatened regional stability, freedom of navigation, and international shipping. The United States separately described the operations as “deeply destabilizing.”

Beyond traditional military activity

Ma Chen-kun, a professor at Taiwan’s National Defense University, told Taiwanese media that Beijing’s pressure campaign has increasingly shifted from conventional military operations toward coast guard, research, and other government vessels that can assert claims of administrative jurisdiction without triggering a direct military confrontation.

That approach, analysts say, allows Beijing to normalize a presence in waters where Chinese government and militia vessels were previously less active.

Though the August sighting does not by itself establish that the three vessels were conducting a coordinated mission, Apex Aviation said its aerial surveillance patrol could not determine their specific objectives or confirm that the activity was coordinated.