Chinese Research Vessel Conducts Survey in Taiwan’s Eastern Waters, Escalating Regional Tensions
The Chinese research vessel ‘Xianyanghong 22’ has conducted an environmental survey in the eastern maritime area of Taiwan. Following maritime boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines, China has intensified its territorial claims in this region. Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te described China’s activities as “the greatest threat to regional peace and stability.” 7 Asar, Kathmandu. A Chinese research ship carried out a marine environmental survey in waters east of Taiwan. This is Beijing’s latest move to strengthen its territorial claims in the area after recent maritime boundary negotiations between Manila (Philippines) and Tokyo (Japan). The survey, organized by the East China Sea Bureau under China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, took place from Tuesday through Thursday. The ministry deployed the marine science research vessel ‘Xianyanghong 22’ for this mission.
According to a statement released by the ministry on Thursday, the survey aimed to “gain detailed understanding of the natural ecological conditions within China’s territorial waters and support marine environmental protection efforts.” This was not the first time Beijing had sent a research vessel near Taiwan’s waters, but mainland authorities seldom publicly announce such missions. At the end of last month, the Philippines and Japan held maritime boundary negotiations. Since then, Beijing has accelerated efforts to assert its sovereignty in waters east of Taiwan, condemning the talks as “illegal and invalid.”
The Thursday statement detailed that environmental DNA (eDNA) from seawater, along with data on birds, whales, dolphins, marine chemistry, and meteorological conditions were collected during the survey. China claims the data will aid in assessing the state of critical habitats and evaluating ecosystem health, providing a scientific basis for future marine biodiversity protection measures.
Tokyo and Manila announced the start of talks to delineate their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves. Beijing criticized this dialogue as a “serious violation of China’s maritime rights and interests.” According to China, the disputed area lies directly east of Taiwan, where Beijing asserts sovereignty under both domestic and international law. Earlier this month, China’s Ministry of Transport initiated a five-day “special maritime traffic law enforcement operation” in waters east of Taiwan, which it described as a “necessary step” responding to the Tokyo-Manila talks. Coast Guard vessels from mainland China have also patrolled the area following those diplomatic discussions.
Chinese state media reported that various law enforcement agencies’ operations are mainland China’s effort to establish jurisdiction over the region. The government’s social media account ‘Yuyuan Tiantian’ labeled this activity as “coastal governance.” According to reports, this is the first coordinated survey of Taiwan’s eastern maritime area conducted by the mainland within the scope of maritime traffic law enforcement, successfully addressing previous gaps in seafloor mapping.
These developments have further heightened tensions between Beijing and Taipei. On Thursday, Taiwanese leader William Lai accused Beijing of seeking to expand its presence under the guise of Coast Guard law enforcement, calling it “the greatest threat to regional peace and stability.” He also emphasized that China is not a “coastal state” of the relevant maritime area. Meanwhile, Beijing has criticized Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party for allegedly being as “helpless as previous occasions” over the maritime boundary negotiations between Japan and the Philippines. Beijing maintains that Taiwan is a part of China and holds a firm stance to reunify the island with the mainland, even if it requires the use of force. While most nations, including the U.S., Japan, and the Philippines, do not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent country, Washington opposes any forceful attempts to seize the island and remains committed to supplying Taiwan with defensive arms.
The ‘Xianyanghong 22,’ utilized in the survey, is a 3,000-ton research vessel commissioned in 2018. In March last year, Japan reported sighting this ship approximately 57 kilometers northwest of the Diaoyu Islands (known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan). The Japanese Coast Guard ordered the vessel to cease its activities near the disputed islands, stating Tokyo had not granted research permission in that area.