From fishing nets to grey-zone tactics: Chinese militia boat enter Taiwan’s sensitive east coast - report

A Chinese fishing boat believed to be part of Beijing’s maritime militia has been spotted operating alongside a coast guard cutter and a research vessel off Taiwan’s Pacific coast, in what appears to be the first known sighting of such a vessel in the strategically sensitive waters.The vessel, identified as the Minfudingyu 07902, was detected more than 30 nautical miles off Taiwan’s eastern Hualien county in August, according to a surveillance report by Taiwan-based Apex Aviation reviewed by Reuters. The report used radar screenshots, infrared imagery and automatic identification system data to track the vessels.The sighting comes as China has stepped up activity along Taiwan’s east coast since June, with regular coast guard patrols in an area Taipei considers crucial for potential wartime supply routes from its allies. Taiwanese officials have said the growing presence of Chinese military, paramilitary and civilian vessels could be part of preparations for a possible maritime blockade.Fishing boat joins Chinese maritime groupThe Minfudingyu 07902 was identified as a fishing vessel that doubles as a Chinese maritime militia boat. According to the Apex report, it was operating alongside Chinese coast guard cutter 2502 and the research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03 on a day in mid-August.Two senior Taiwanese officials briefed on the incident confirmed that the three vessels had been operating near Taiwan at the time. They said Taiwanese authorities had identified the fishing boat as belonging to the People's Liberation Army's maritime militia fleet.One of the officials said the vessel was operating "in coordination with Chinese coast guard maritime harassment drills"."The purpose of militia boats is to conduct substantive harassment," the official said.The second official said the three vessels were operating "in an area not commonly used by Chinese vessels" and had been "designated for heightened monitoring".The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.Taiwan's defence ministry told Reuters that China was increasingly using civilian and official vessels together in activities it described as harassment operations.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," Taiwan's defence ministry said in a statement.The ministry said such activities undermine international order and challenge Taiwan's maritime rights. It added that Taiwan's military was using reconnaissance capabilities to monitor Chinese activity in coordination with other agencies, including the coast guard.China's Taiwan Affairs Office and defence ministry did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.Why Taiwan’s east coast mattersThe latest sighting is notable because Chinese maritime militia vessels have traditionally been more commonly associated with disputed areas in the South China Sea.Taiwan lies across the Taiwan Strait from mainland China, but its eastern coastline opens into the wider Pacific. Taipei considers these waters strategically important because they could provide access to supply routes from countries supporting Taiwan in the event of a conflict or blockade.Taiwanese officials have increasingly warned that Beijing could seek to rehearse a blockade by combining military, coast guard, maritime militia and civilian vessels.The activity along Taiwan's east coast has intensified since June, when Chinese coast guard vessels began making regular patrols in the area.The presence of a maritime militia boat alongside a coast guard cutter and a research vessel therefore provides another example of the overlapping use of China's maritime assets, according to Taiwanese officials and analysts.China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has not ruled out the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and maintains its own government and military.What is China’s maritime militia?China's maritime militia is made up largely of fishing vessels whose crews receive training and support to operate in disputed waters.The practice dates back to the 1950s, and the vessels have become a familiar feature around maritime flashpoints in the South China Sea.Analysts say the militia allows Beijing to reinforce its maritime claims while retaining a civilian appearance. Fishing vessels can operate alongside coast guard and other government ships, making it harder to clearly distinguish between civilian activity and state-directed operations.The vessels have previously been observed in disputed waters in the South China Sea, where China has sought to assert its territorial and maritime claims.The August sighting off Taiwan's eastern coast is notable because of the location and the combination of vessels involved.The Taiwanese officials said the Minfudingyu 07902 was already being tracked as part of the PLA's maritime militia fleet.Civilian aircraft tracks Chinese vesselsThe new details emerged from a surveillance operation conducted by Apex Aviation, a Taiwanese company better known for pilot training and charter flights.According to its report, one of the company's reconnaissance aircraft detected a group of Chinese vessels more than 30 nautical miles off Hualien.Apex declined to disclose the precise date of the sighting, citing safety concerns linked to counter-reconnaissance measures against its operations.The company documented the vessels using radar screenshots, infrared imagery and automatic identification system data.The three vessels were spread across an area covering roughly 10 nautical miles, according to Honor Hung, Apex's defence and security director."Chinese warships, coast guard vessels, research ships and some civilian vessels continue to operate in overlapping ways, "creating pressure in the waters surrounding Taiwan"," Hung said.However, he cautioned that a single surveillance operation could not establish what the individual vessels were doing or determine whether the three ships were coordinating their activities.Apex's surveillance aircraft is equipped with a powerful US-made radar capable of detecting objects on the sea surface as small as 900 square centimetres, or about 140 square inches.Taiwan expands surveillance amid China activityThe private patrol also reflects Taiwan's broader effort to involve civilian organisations and companies in capabilities linked to its "whole of society resilience" initiative.The initiative seeks to strengthen Taiwan's ability to respond to potential military and other security contingencies by drawing on resources beyond the armed forces.Apex said its patrols are independently conducted and are not carried out on behalf of the Taiwanese government.Still, the company's surveillance activities provide an additional source of information on Chinese movements around Taiwan at a time when Taipei is closely monitoring the waters surrounding the island.Taiwan's defence ministry said its military was using reconnaissance tools alongside other government agencies to track Chinese activity.Blockade concerns growTaiwanese officials have increasingly focused on the possibility that China could use a combination of military and non-military vessels to restrict access to the island without immediately launching a full-scale invasion.A maritime blockade could potentially target Taiwan's commercial shipping and disrupt the movement of essential supplies while using coast guard and civilian vessels to create pressure around the island.Taiwan's east coast would be particularly important in such a scenario because it faces the Pacific and could serve as an alternative route for supplies and support from Taiwan's partners.The appearance of a Chinese maritime militia vessel in those waters therefore adds to concerns in Taipei about the expanding geographical scope of China's maritime operations.The August patrol does not by itself establish that Beijing was rehearsing a blockade, and Apex said its surveillance could not determine the specific missions of the three vessels.But Taiwanese authorities have placed the vessels under heightened monitoring as China continues to increase maritime activity around the island.You use AI every day. 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