China defends patrols east of Taiwan after three European nations raise alarm
China's Coast Guard conducted a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" in waters east of Taiwan — the Pacific Ocean side of the island — markin...
What Happened
- China's Coast Guard conducted a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" in waters east of Taiwan — the Pacific Ocean side of the island — marking an unusual extension of Chinese enforcement activity beyond the Taiwan Strait into the western Pacific.
- During the operation, Coast Guard vessels reportedly inspected 198 vessels transiting the area, claimed to have "rectified violations" involving three ships, conducted a hydrographic survey, and patrolled near undersea cable locations.
- Taiwan stated that three merchant ships in the area were "harassed" by Chinese Coast Guard vessels, which demanded information about their origin and destination and asserted jurisdictional authority.
- Britain, France, and Germany issued a rare joint statement expressing alarm over the activity, stating it threatened regional stability and freedom of navigation.
- China's Foreign Ministry defended the operation, saying law-enforcement and patrol activities in the area were aimed at "maintaining regional stability and maritime order," and framed the patrols as a response to a separate announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal maritime boundary talks — which Beijing viewed as involving Chinese-claimed waters near Taiwan.
Static Topic Bridges
The Taiwan Question — China's Legal and Political Position
China considers Taiwan a breakaway province that must eventually be reunified with the mainland, a position it refers to as the "One China Principle." This is distinct from the "One China Policy" adopted by most states, including India, which acknowledges (but does not necessarily endorse) China's position while maintaining unofficial relations with Taipei. China's 2005 Anti-Secession Law explicitly authorizes military action if Taiwan declares formal independence or if peaceful reunification becomes impossible. Taiwan has been self-governed since 1949, with its own military, constitution, and elected government.
- China's legal basis for claim: Constitution of the People's Republic of China; Anti-Secession Law (2005)
- Anti-Secession Law: passed by China's National People's Congress; authorizes "non-peaceful means" if Taiwan declares independence or if prospects for peaceful reunification are "completely exhausted"
- Taiwan's official name: Republic of China (ROC), governed since 1949 by the government that withdrew from mainland China
- India's position: acknowledges One China Policy; maintains trade and cultural ties with Taiwan but no formal diplomatic relations
- UN membership: Taiwan lost its UN seat (held as "China") to the PRC in 1971 via UN Resolution 2758
Connection to this news: China's Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan are part of a broader pattern of asserting de facto administrative authority in waters surrounding Taiwan, reinforcing its political position through operational presence rather than formal legal claims.
Freedom of Navigation and UNCLOS in the Taiwan Strait Context
The Taiwan Strait is approximately 180 km wide at its narrowest, placing much of its central corridor outside any single country's territorial sea (which extends 12 nautical miles from a baseline). Under UNCLOS Article 58, states enjoy freedom of navigation and overflight within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Article 36 specifies that in straits wider than 24 nautical miles, the standard UNCLOS high seas and EEZ freedoms apply in the non-territorial corridor. The waters east of Taiwan are open Pacific Ocean within Taiwan's EEZ, over which China has no recognized territorial claim.
- UNCLOS Article 17: right of innocent passage through territorial seas
- UNCLOS Article 36: freedom of navigation applies in straits wider than 24 nm (non-territorial corridor)
- UNCLOS Article 58: freedom of navigation and overflight in EEZs
- Taiwan's EEZ extends 200 nautical miles from its baseline, covering the waters east of the island where patrols occurred
- China is a signatory to UNCLOS (ratified 1996) but disputes its applicability to "Chinese waters"
- The United States conducts regular Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) in the region
Connection to this news: China's assertion of law-enforcement jurisdiction in waters east of Taiwan — part of Taiwan's EEZ — has no recognized basis under UNCLOS. The European joint statement is grounded in the UNCLOS framework of freedom of navigation.
China's Coast Guard Law (2021) and "Grey Zone" Tactics
China enacted a new Coast Guard Law in February 2021, granting its Coast Guard the authority to use weapons against foreign vessels in waters China claims as its own. The law is significant because it attempts to give legal cover to enforcement actions in disputed maritime zones, including around Taiwan, the South China Sea, and the East China Sea. "Grey zone" tactics refer to coercive activities that fall short of conventional military conflict but are used to gradually expand de facto control — including shadowing, inspecting, or harassing vessels without triggering a formal military response.
- China's Coast Guard Law: enacted February 1, 2021
- Key provision: authorizes use of weapons against foreign vessels in "waters under China's jurisdiction"
- Grey zone tactics: harassment, water cannon use, inspection demands, shadowing — all sub-threshold of military action
- China has used similar tactics in the South China Sea (against Philippine resupply missions to Second Thomas Shoal) and now reportedly east of Taiwan
- The law was criticized by Japan, the US, and the Philippines as inconsistent with UNCLOS
Connection to this news: China's Coast Guard "inspection" of 198 vessels east of Taiwan and the "rectification" of three ships are consistent with the use of its 2021 Coast Guard Law to assert jurisdiction in non-recognized waters. The European alarm reflects concern that such enforcement precedents, if unchallenged, normalize Chinese authority in open Pacific waters.
European Security Interests in the Indo-Pacific
Britain, France, and Germany have progressively articulated Indo-Pacific strategies since 2019–2021. France has overseas territories in the Indo-Pacific (New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Réunion) and maintains a permanent naval presence in the region. Britain's Indo-Pacific tilt was formalized in its 2021 Integrated Review. Germany released its first Indo-Pacific guidelines in 2020. All three states have conducted or supported freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. Their joint statement on Chinese activity east of Taiwan reflects a convergence of European and US positions on China's maritime conduct.
- France's Indo-Pacific strategy: 2019; maintains ~2 million citizens and significant EEZ in the Pacific
- Germany's Indo-Pacific guidelines: September 2020 — first such document by Germany
- UK's Indo-Pacific tilt: 2021 Integrated Review; aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth deployed to the region in 2021
- AUKUS (2021): UK-US-Australia security pact with submarine technology sharing — further embeds European (UK) security interests in the Pacific
- EU Indo-Pacific Strategy: adopted September 2021
Connection to this news: The rarity of a joint Britain-France-Germany statement on Taiwan-adjacent maritime activity underscores how the China-Taiwan issue has moved from an Asia-Pacific concern to a mainstream European security issue.
Key Facts & Data
- China's Coast Guard Law enacted: February 1, 2021
- China's Anti-Secession Law passed: March 14, 2005
- UN Resolution 2758 (1971): transferred China's UN seat from ROC (Taiwan) to PRC
- China ratified UNCLOS: 1996
- Vessels reportedly inspected by Chinese Coast Guard east of Taiwan: 198
- Taiwan Strait width at narrowest: ~180 km (beyond 24 nm threshold, UNCLOS Article 36 freedoms apply)
- France's Indo-Pacific strategy: 2019; Germany's Indo-Pacific guidelines: 2020; UK's Integrated Review: 2021