Beijing: As Chinese research vessels operate in waters around Taiwan, Beijing has maintained that they are conducting only marine scientific research, but their activities appear increasingly difficult to view as benign, a report has stated.
It noted that publicly available tracking data suggests that these vessels may be systematically mapping the seabed, potentially laying the groundwork for future naval operations.
According to a report in online magazine ‘The Diplomat’, at least seven Chinese research vessels have come under suspicion of carrying out research with military applications since June 6. It stressed that taken together, these developments reflect the emergence of an increasingly “intrusive form of coercion”.
“Since Beijing announced special maritime operations on June 6, its forces have grown more assertive – pushing patrols into new waters, rotating formations to regularise presence, and deploying research vessels that can conduct military reconnaissance. This all points to a new form of coercion taking shape,” the report detailed.
On July 4, the Global Times – a mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party – announced that China’s maritime patrols had entered “a new phase,” shifting towards “a more systematic, institutionalized, and long-term framework” and away from “isolated military exercises or patrols.”
“Recent deployments bear this out. Between June 6 and June 10, China’s Ministry of Transport carried out its first special operation in waters east of Taiwan, halting commercial vessels and requesting information on their points of origin and destination,” The Diplomat mentioned.
“While China has announced mandatory inspections during past exercises, it has never successfully enforced them. This time was different. Chinese Coast Guard ships conducted inspections en masse through radio communications with all transiting commercial vessels. Even foreign commercial vessels – including three vessels from Singapore, Benin, and Liberia – reported receiving radio messages from Chinese authorities to comply with requests,” it added.
The report said the move effectively narrows Taiwan’s room for manoeuvre, fitting into China’s broader strategy of gradually isolating the island from international support.
More significantly, China claimed that the patrols were launched in response to talks between Japan and the Philippines on delimiting maritime boundaries east of Taiwan.
“Beijing hopes to deter strategic cooperation between two US allies, one located north and the other to the south of the island, that may each play critical roles during a conflict over Taiwan,” it noted.
(IANS)
