Taiwan says ‘significant’ rise in China maritime activity near island

Taiwan detected a sharp rise in the number of Chinese ships entering waters around the island democracy last month, a Taiwanese coast guard official said, as Beijing intensifies pressure on Taipei.

China deploys military aircraft, warships and coast guard vessels around Taiwan on an almost daily basis to assert its claim of sovereignty over the island — which Taipei rejects.

Data show a “significant increase” in the number of Chinese ships conducting “grey zone harassment” in June, a Taiwan coast guard official said on the condition of anonymity in order to share the information with the media. The remarks were embargoed until Monday.

A total of 263 Chinese ships, including coast guard, rescue and research vessels, were detected in waters around Taiwan and its outer islands in June, compared with 200 a month earlier, and 171 in June 2025.

The figures do not include warships.

“Whether in terms of the types or the number of government vessels involved in these grey-zone activities, there was a significant increase,” the official told reporters.

China launched “law enforcement” patrols in waters east of Taiwan last month, which Taipei has branded as “provocative” and “expansionism in disguise”.

Until June, China Coast Guard’s presence in the Western Pacific had been largely limited to participation in military drills around Taiwan.

During the operation, the China Coast Guard for the first time radioed cargo ships passing Taiwan for information about their crew and destination.

A senior government official said China’s aim was not only to disrupt shipping but to “prevent Taiwan from receiving supplies” by stopping commercial ships from entering its ports.

“What it is trying to do is put into practice what it has long talked about — using quarantine-like measures to carry out an anaconda strategy against Taiwan,” he said on the condition of anonymity.

Taiwan will hold live drills to practise how to respond to a potential quarantine or blockade, the coast guard official said, without providing details.

China’s newer coast guard ships were military-grade double-hulled vessels transferred from the Chinese navy, making them stronger than Taiwan’s, he said.

“The only difference is their paint scheme,” he said.

“This is also why during collision incidents in the South China Sea they are able to recover so quickly.”

China’s coast guard ships also operated in pairs, imposing a “considerable burden” on the Taiwan coast guard fleet to monitor them.

“The area they cover is extremely extensive,” the coast guard official said.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, who has been an outspoken defender of Taiwan’s sovereignty, called on his party on Sunday to oppose China’s “red terror” and protect the island’s “democratic and free way of life”.