Taiwan's Coast Guard reported that China is coordinating maritime militia boats with coast guard and research ships around Taiwan and into the western Pacific to conduct "battlefield preparation" and practice potential blockade maneuvers. Chinese activity surged following June 2026 boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines. Concurrently, China deployed its aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning to conduct drills near Japan's EEZ and the South China Sea.
Chinese militia vessel coordination
- ▪China's maritime militia, established in the 1950s, uses state-supported fishing crews alongside coast guard ships to assert territorial claims while maintaining a civilian appearance.
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration placed the Minfudingyu 07902 on a priority watchlist after identifying characteristics of Chinese maritime militia operations.
- ▪Taiwan's Apex Aviation documented the Chinese vessel cluster off Taiwan's east coast using radar screenshots, infrared imagery, and automatic-identification system data during a reconnaissance flight.
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration reported that Chinese suspected militia fishing boat Minfudingyu 07902 operated alongside a Chinese coast guard ship and a research vessel off Taiwan's east coast on August 16, 2026.
Gray-zone battlefield preparation operations
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard stated that China uses coordinated law-enforcement, scientific, and civilian vessels for gray-zone operations to assist battlefield preparation below the threshold of open conflict.
- ▪China's Ministry of Defense maintains that its maritime operations off Taiwan's eastern coast are legitimate and lawful activities conducted within Chinese territorial waters.
- ▪Taiwanese officials stated that China is utilizing overlapping military, paramilitary, and civilian assets to practice for a potential maritime blockade around Taiwan.
Taiwan maritime surveillance burden
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard warned that continuous Chinese vessel activity along Taiwan's eastern coast threatens critical maritime traffic and supply routes.
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration dispatched a patrol boat on August 16, 2026 to drive away the Minfudingyu 07902 when it approached within 2.7 nautical miles outside Taiwan's restricted waters.
Japan exclusive economic zone pressure
- ▪The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning group conducted fighter jet takeoff and landing exercises inside Japan's maritime exclusive economic zone 250 kilometers south of Ishigaki Island in October 2026.
- ▪China increased maritime activity in overlapping economic waters after Tokyo and Manila announced talks in June 2026 regarding maritime boundary delimitation in their exclusive economic zones.
- ▪The Chinese aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning deployment preceded the joint U.S.-Japan Keen Sword 27 military exercises scheduled to launch on Ishigaki on October 19, 2026.
Philippines regional security concerns
- ▪The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Vietnam maintain competing territorial disputes against China in the South China Sea.
- ▪Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration stated that Chinese gray-zone maritime operations are increasing the surveillance burden and regional security pressure on the Philippines, Japan, and Taiwan.
Liaoning carrier deployment pattern
- ▪Military experts state the Chinese navy uses deployments of the CNS Liaoning to test technology and train personnel for newer aircraft carriers CNS Shandong and CNS Fujian.
- ▪The Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy deployed the aircraft carrier CNS Liaoning and a naval task group to the western Pacific Ocean on October 14, 2026 for routine combat readiness drills.
- ▪The CNS Liaoning aircraft carrier group sailed with two large destroyers and a guided-missile destroyer toward the South China Sea near the Philippines in October 2026.
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