China is combining militia vessels with coast guard ships to expand what Taiwan's Coast Guard called “battlefield preparation” around Taiwan and into the western Pacific, Reuters reported on Friday, warning the operations were also putting pressure on Japan and the Philippines.

Source: Reuters

Responding to a Reuters exclusive this month on the first known sighting of a Chinese militia boat off Taiwan's Pacific coast in mid-August, Taiwan's Coast Guard said it had dispatched a patrol boat to drive away the vessel, which was operating alongside a Chinese coast guard ship and a research vessel.

The coast guard confirmed details in the Reuters report, identifying the suspected militia fishing boat as Minfudingyu 07902, and said it had come as close as about 2.7 nautical miles outside Taiwan's restricted waters on August 16.

Grey-zone operations since June

China has increased such activity since June in overlapping economic waters involving Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, the coast guard said, after Tokyo and Manila announced talks on maritime boundary delimitation in their exclusive economic zones. EEZs extend 200 nautical miles from the coast.

“Such complex grey-zone operations not only increase the maritime surveillance and response burden on Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, but may also create regional security pressure and affect the existing international maritime order,” Taiwan's Coast Guard said in a statement to Reuters.

China's defence ministry, and the Philippines defence and foreign ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment, Reuters reported. Japan's coast guard declined immediate comment.