Taiwan Vows to Expel Chinese Ships as Patrol Ends
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- Taiwan's coast guard said its maritime sovereignty cannot be "violated" by Chinese efforts to create a false impression of jurisdiction, vowing to "forcefully drive away" any Chinese ships and expel any country asserting jurisdiction "without exception."
- China deployed ships starting late June 6 for a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" in waters east of Taiwan, inspecting 198 passing vessels and rectifying violations involving three ships before ending the patrol on June 10.
- The Chinese patrol also included a hydrographic survey and patrolling of areas where undersea cables are located, according to Chinese state media.
- The operation was triggered by Japan and the Philippines announcing in May that they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, which Beijing viewed as involving waters off Taiwan.
- China claims Taiwan as its own territory, with Chinese warships and warplanes operating around the island almost daily.
- Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has repeatedly offered talks with China, but Beijing has rebuffed him, labeling him a "separatist."
Why it matters: The patrol inspected 198 vessels over roughly four days in waters east of Taiwan — a direct Chinese law-enforcement assertion in a zone Taiwan considers its own. The trigger was Japan-Philippines maritime boundary talks, meaning third-party diplomacy, not Taiwan's own actions, drew Beijing's enforcement apparatus into Taiwan-adjacent waters for the first time in this cycle.
