Concerns over Chinese sea operations raised with Beijing, Taiwan says

Taipei, July 27 (CNA) Taiwan has conveyed its concerns to Beijing "through third countries and existing private channels" over recent Chinese operations east of Taiwan that China has claimed involve law enforcement, Taiwan's top China affairs agency said Monday.

"In addition to lodging a public protest, we have conveyed our concern and dissatisfaction to China through third countries and existing private mechanisms," Shen Yu-chung (沈有忠), deputy head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said during a seminar in Taipei.

Shen did not identify the third countries involved, elaborate on the private mechanisms used, say when the contacts took place, or indicate if Taiwan had received any response.

Formal communication between the two sides has been largely suspended since 2016, when Beijing halted official contacts following the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party's return to power.

Shen's remarks came amid a series of operations conducted by China's coast guard and government and research vessels east of Taiwan since June, including what Beijing has called "special maritime law-enforcement operations."

Official Chinese ships have been operating within Taiwan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with some ordering passing merchant vessels to leave and others asserting jurisdiction by claiming to conduct law-enforcement patrols, according to Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration.

Chinese research vessels have also carried out surveys in Taiwan's EEZ, including the Lanhai 201, which last week was located 53 nautical miles east-northeast of Orchid Island (Lanyu) off the coast of Taitung County.

An EEZ may extend up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state's baselines. Foreign ships generally enjoy freedom of navigation there, but marine scientific research requires the coastal state's consent.

Shen said Taiwan is currently handling Chinese official vessels based on the principle of "avoiding escalation" beyond 24 nautical miles from its coast while "not backing down on sovereignty" within that range.

China's current radio "checks" of passing vessels have been largely "symbolic" attempts to assert jurisdiction, he said, but any attempt to board and inspect Taiwanese fishing or commercial vessels would constitute a serious escalation.

The government has advised Taiwanese vessels to remain in motion if approached by Chinese official ships, making boarding difficult, Shen said.

If a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel is nearby, Taiwanese ships should head toward it for assistance. If none is available, they should return to within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan, he said.

Shen said Taiwan would also strengthen its surveillance and expulsion capabilities, including by making greater use of drones to compensate for China's advantage in ship numbers and tonnage.

Strategic eastern waters

Also speaking at the seminar, William Chung (鍾志東), a researcher at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said waters east of Taiwan would be strategically important in wartime because they lie off key military facilities in eastern Taiwan.

Chung cited a naval base in Yilan County's Suao Township and Chiashan Air Force Base in Hualien County as examples.

The area could also serve as a vital route for Taiwan to break a Chinese blockade and maintain links with the United States and other outside partners, he said.

China's deployment of official vessels in the area could therefore be aimed not only at exerting pressure but also at familiarizing itself with the operating environment and gathering oceanographic intelligence for possible future military operations, Chung assessed.

Such vessels could collect data on seabed terrain, undersea cable routes, water temperatures, tides, and ocean currents, he said, describing such information as "very important" to military planning and deployment.