Mainland Chinese coastguard keeps up pressure on Taiwan with latest ‘regular’ patrol near Quemoy
- Coastguards based in Fujian have been increasingly active around the Taipei-held island since an incident when two fishermen died in February
- The patrols and continued PLA activity keep up the pressure on Taiwan ahead of the inauguration later this month of president-elect William Lai
It was also the second this week following a similar patrol on Monday, which the mainland coastguard said was intended to “enhance the management of relevant waters”.
In March, they carried two back-to-back patrols involving a total of eight vessels on consecutive days. They were warned away by their Taiwanese counterparts on both occasions.
In late February, on the same day as a patrol mission, Fujian-based based coastguards carried out a law enforcement exercise in the waters between Quemoy and the nearby mainland city of Xiamen to “test the fast-response and emergency response capabilities” of their vessels.
Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Friday morning that it had detected 26 PLA aircraft and five warships operating around the island in the previous 24 hours.
The ministry also reported that 17 warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, approaching within 41 nautical miles (75km) of Keelung, a major naval base on the northeast of the island.
The median line, once regarded as an unofficial boundary between Taiwan and China, is now frequently crossed by Chinese military aircraft and Beijing officially denies the line’s existence.
On Thursday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said the PLA had carried out a “joint combat readiness patrol” near the island – its second in a week.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China that must be reunited with the mainland – by force if necessary.
Most countries do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state. But many, including its most important international partner the United States and its allies, are opposed to any change to the status quo by force.
Lai’s inaugural speech will be closely watched by Beijing as it looks for clues about what approach he will adopt over the next four years.