China conducted a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" with coast guard patrols in waters east of Taiwan starting late June 6, 2026, and ended it on or about June 10 after inspecting 198 passing vessels and rectifying violations involving three ships [1, 2, 3]. The patrol also included a hydrographic survey and targeted areas with undersea cables [1, 2, 3].
Taiwan’s coast guard rejected China’s claims to jurisdiction in those waters. A spokesperson said, "Our nation’s maritime sovereignty cannot be violated. Any country that asserts jurisdiction will be expelled without exception," while spokesman Hsieh Ching-chin added, "China has no sovereign rights whatsoever in the waters east of Taiwan. Our Coast Guard Administration will, regardless of nationality, expel without exception any vessel involved in asserting jurisdiction, in order to defend our sovereignty" [1, 2].
Taiwan accused Chinese coast guard ships of harassing merchant vessels by demanding origin and destination information and asserting jurisdiction without basis [4, 2]. Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung called China a "trouble-maker damaging the status quo," accusing Beijing of using "so-called law enforcement to pursue expansion" [4]. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te has offered talks with China, but Beijing labeled him a "separatist" and rebuffed negotiations [4, 1, 2, 3].
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and rejects Taiwan’s sovereignty claims. Zhang Han, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said, "The relevant mainland authorities’ law-enforcement patrols in the relevant waters are a just act to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests" [4]. Chinese warships and warplanes operate around Taiwan almost daily [1, 2, 3].
The recent patrols followed Japan and the Philippines announcing in May 2026 the start of formal talks on maritime boundaries involving waters near Taiwan [4, 1, 2, 3].
China ended the coast guard operation on June 10 after completing vessel inspections and survey work [1, 2, 3]. Taiwan’s coast guard continues to assert its intention to expel any vessel asserting unauthorized jurisdiction in waters east of the island [1, 2].
