Mainland government vessels have approached Taiwan's eastern coast for three consecutive months, as Beijing pushes gray zone operations beyond the first island chain

Twenty-four days before August, Taiwan's defense department recorded 118 instances of mainland coast guard, survey ships, and other government vessels, surpassing the 117 instances recorded for the entire month of July and exceeding the 111 instances in June. More critically, since Taiwan publicly disclosed relevant data in July 2024, the single-month peak before June was only 50 instances in April 2025, nearly doubling this level over the past three months.

The eastern coastal waters are being redefined

The AMTI report on August 19 pointed out that since late May, when Japan and the Philippines initiated boundary negotiations in the Philippine Sea, Beijing has rapidly pushed law enforcement and survey vessels into the waters east of Taiwan. The China Coast Guard vessel 1306 has been patrolling since August 4, and on August 14, the "Xiangyanghong 3" joined the survey operations, indicating that this is not a temporary demonstration, but a synchronized advancement of law enforcement, surveying, and scientific research.

Beijing is testing the pressure capacity of Taiwan's eastern coast

The author believes that this round of actions is not necessarily aimed at immediately blockading Taiwan, but rather transforming Taiwan's eastern coast from a relatively safe rear area into a frontline coastal region that must be prepared for all-weather responses. Reuters previously quoted Taiwanese assessments stating that this has touched upon Taiwan's anxiety regarding its supply lines to the Pacific. In simple terms, Beijing is using government vessels to establish precedents for future maritime isolation, undersea cable reconnaissance, and submarine activities. What truly needs to be monitored is whether this model of "government vessels leading, military power following" will become a new norm.