Resolutely Oppose Japan-Philippines Collusion, Defend National Territorial Sovereignty, Special Law Enforcement Action Launched in the Eastern Waters of Taiwan Island

[Global Times Report, Reporter Guo Yuandan] On June 6, the Ministry of Transport organized the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration, Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration, East China Sea Navigation Guarantee Center, and East China Sea Rescue Bureau to carry out a special maritime traffic law enforcement action in the eastern waters of Taiwan Island, fully exercising China's maritime administrative law enforcement jurisdiction, enhancing deep-sea patrol law enforcement and key waterway traffic control capabilities, ensuring maritime traffic safety, and safeguarding national interests.

This action follows the law enforcement patrol conducted by the China Coast Guard on June 1 in the waters east of Taiwan Island, in response to Japan and the Philippines unilaterally announcing the initiation of "boundary negotiations" in the waters east of Taiwan Island, which seriously infringes upon China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. Military experts interviewed by the Global Times on the 7th stated that these actions demonstrate China's firm opposition to the collusion between Japan and the Philippines, which disrupts regional stability, and that the related illegal actions by Japan and the Philippines are completely invalid.

"The China Coast Guard fleet and the maritime departments of the Ministry of Transport have dispatched vessels to carry out relevant actions in the waters east of Taiwan Island. The two actions aim to defend national territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, exercise maritime administrative law enforcement jurisdiction in accordance with the law, while maintaining the order of fishery production in the waters and ensuring maritime traffic safety," military expert Zhang Junsha stated to the Global Times on the 7th.

Zhang Junsha introduced that the maritime conditions in the waters east of Taiwan Island are complex, posing significant challenges to vessel performance and law enforcement operational capabilities. This also indicates that the China Coast Guard and maritime departments have the capability to conduct regular law enforcement patrols and control in this area, further implying that China has effectively established a relatively complete system for protecting sovereignty and maritime rights around Taiwan Island and for managing the waters.

On May 28, during Philippine President Marcos's visit to Japan, Japan and the Philippines issued a joint statement announcing the formal initiation of so-called "boundary negotiations" regarding the exclusive economic zones and continental shelves between Japan and the Philippines. The so-called boundary range claimed by Japan and the Philippines is located between the Ryukyu Islands claimed by Japan and the Batan Islands claimed by the Philippines, approximately 400 kilometers apart, situated on the east and south sides of Taiwan Island, specifically in the waters east of Taiwan Island. In response, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously stated that the so-called "boundary negotiations" by Japan and the Philippines are completely illegal and invalid, and will not affect China's claims and exercise of its legitimate rights in the waters east of Taiwan Island. China urges Japan and the Philippines to immediately cease any actions that infringe upon China's maritime rights and to take practical actions to maintain regional peace and stability.

Zhang Junsha stated that according to Chinese domestic law and international law such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, China has sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the territorial sea, exclusive economic zone, and continental shelf in the waters east of Taiwan Island. The waters where Japan and the Philippines unilaterally conduct so-called "boundary negotiations" are located within China's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, which seriously infringes upon China's maritime rights and violates international law and the basic principles of international relations. Regarding whether the People's Liberation Army might conduct military training operations in this area, Zhang Junsha believes that the PLA, Coast Guard, and maritime departments all bear the responsibility of safeguarding national sovereignty and maritime rights. "China will flexibly allocate and deploy appropriate military and law enforcement forces based on the actual situation in the relevant waters and the security threats faced, resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and maritime rights."

The Taiwan "Coast Guard Administration" claimed on the 7th that the mainland does not enjoy any sovereign rights in the eastern waters of Taiwan and also shouted that the maritime traffic special law enforcement action initiated by the mainland "violates international law." In response, Zhang Junsha stated that Taiwan and its affiliated islands are an inseparable part of Chinese territory, and that the enforcement actions carried out by China Coast Guard vessels in these waters are legitimate rights and lawful duties, which help maintain the order of fishery production in the area and the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait region.