China Escalates Taiwan Threat: Militia Boat Spotted Off Island’s East Coast for First Time

A Chinese maritime militia vessel was spotted operating alongside a coast guard ship and a research vessel off Taiwan's eastern coast in August, according to a new surveillance report, marking the first known sighting of such a boat in the strategically sensitive area.

The vessel, identified as Minfudingyu 07902, is a fishing boat that also serves in China's maritime militia, according to the report prepared by Taiwanese aviation company Apex Aviation, seen by Reuters. It was detected in mid-August operating near Chinese coast guard cutter 2502 and research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 03.

Two senior Taiwanese officials confirmed to the outlet that the three vessels had been operating in the area. One identified the fishing boat as part of the People's Liberation Army's maritime militia fleet and said it was participating in coordinated maritime harassment exercises.

China has increased its maritime presence off Taiwan's eastern coast since June, deploying coast guard vessels on regular patrols in waters that previously experienced less Chinese activity.

Taiwanese officials believe Beijing may be rehearsing tactics for a potential blockade, using military ships, coast guard vessels and civilian craft to establish a sustained presence around the island. China claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under its control. Taiwan rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims.

Taiwan's defense ministry said China was "using law enforcement and scientific research as cover for harassment, seeking to expand their scope of operations during a non-conflict scenario to create an illusion of de facto jurisdiction," the ministry told Reuters.

The ministry said Taiwan's military was coordinating with the coast guard and other agencies to monitor Chinese movements. China's Taiwan Affairs Office and defense ministry did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

China's maritime militia has been particularly active in the South China Sea, where Chinese vessels have operated near disputed islands and maritime features, sometimes alongside coast guard ships. According to the Apex report, a privately operated reconnaissance aircraft detected the three Chinese vessels more than 30 nautical miles off Hualien County on Taiwan's eastern coastline.

The vessels were spread across an area with a radius of approximately 10 nautical miles.
Apex documented the encounter using radar screenshots, infrared imagery and automatic identification system data. The company requested that Reuters withhold the precise date to protect its surveillance operations.

Honor Hung, Apex's defense and security director, said Chinese naval vessels, coast guard ships, research vessels and civilian craft were operating in overlapping ways around Taiwan.
However, Hung acknowledged that a single surveillance mission could not establish the vessels' precise objectives or determine whether their movements were coordinated.

Apex, primarily known for aviation training and charter services, conducts independent surveillance flights using a civilian light aircraft equipped with advanced American-made radar. The system can detect surface objects measuring as little as 900 square centimeters, approximately 140 square inches.

Although Apex says its patrols are not conducted on behalf of the government, its activities reflect Taiwan's broader effort to strengthen civilian participation in national preparedness under its "whole of society resilience" initiative.