A Chinese fishing boat identified as part of Beijing’s maritime militia was spotted operating with two other Chinese vessels off Taiwan’s Pacific coast in August, marking the first known sighting of such a vessel in the sensitive area.
The vessel, Minfudingyu 07902, was identified as a fishing boat that also serves as a Chinese militia vessel. It was seen operating alongside Chinese coast guard cutter 2502 and the research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03.
China has increased activity off Taiwan’s east coast since June, including regular coast guard patrols. Taiwan, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the island, says it believes China may be practising for a potential maritime blockade using military, paramilitary and civilian assets.
Taipei considers the waters off its eastern coast critical to wartime supply routes from allies in the event of a blockade or conflict.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said China was using law enforcement and scientific research activities as cover to expand its operations and create an appearance of de facto jurisdiction.
The ministry said such actions undermine international order and challenge Taiwan’s maritime rights, adding that Taiwan’s military was using reconnaissance tools 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 requests for comment.
China’s maritime militia, more commonly observed around disputed areas of the South China Sea, consists of fishing vessels whose crews receive training and support to operate in disputed waters, often alongside coast guard ships.
Analysts say the fleet helps Beijing assert maritime claims while maintaining a civilian appearance.
Two senior Taiwanese officials confirmed that the Minfudingyu, coast guard cutter 2502 and Xiang Yang Hong 03 were operating near Taiwan in mid-August.
One official said Taiwan had identified the fishing boat as part of the People’s Liberation Army’s maritime militia fleet and was tracking it as it operated 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 placed under heightened monitoring.
The officials spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue.
A surveillance report said a reconnaissance aircraft detected the Chinese maritime group more than 30 nautical miles off Taiwan’s eastern county of Hualien.
The report used radar screenshots, infrared imagery and automatic-identification system data to document the group. The company that conducted the surveillance withheld the exact date of the sighting over safety concerns linked to counter-reconnaissance against its operations.
The patrol was conducted by Apex Aviation, a company better known for pilot training and charter flights. Its involvement reflects Taiwan’s efforts to involve civilian firms in technologies relevant to the government’s “whole of society resilience” initiative.
Apex said its patrols are independently operated and are not conducted for the government.
Honor Hung, the company’s defence and security director, said Chinese warships, coast guard vessels, research ships and some civilian vessels continue to operate in overlapping ways, “creating pressure in the waters surrounding Taiwan.”
The three vessels were spread across an area of roughly 10 nautical miles, Hung said, adding that a single surveillance operation could not determine their missions or whether they were coordinating.
Apex operates a civilian light aircraft equipped with a powerful US-made radar capable of detecting surface objects as small as 900 square centimetres.
Ojo Triumph
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