A Taiwan Navy landing craft. (symbol image)Image: keystone
A Chinese operation near Taiwan triggers tensions in the region. The background is border talks between Japan and the Philippines, which Beijing considers illegal.
June 7, 2026, 2:49 p.mJune 7, 2026, 2:49 p.m
In view of a Chinese “security operation” in the waters east of Taiwan, the coast guard of the democratically ruled island has dispatched ships to the affected area. The step was taken to respond “appropriately” to China’s action, the coast guard said on Sunday. In Taipei’s opinion, China’s deployment “violates international law.” The Chinese ships were monitored “during the entire process”.
According to Chinese state media, the Ministry of Transport in Beijing called in the coast guard from Fujian and Guangdong provinces to “carry out a special operation to enforce maritime traffic laws in the waters east of the island of Taiwan.” As Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday, Beijing’s maneuver is “a necessary measure against the unilateral announcement by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin ‘negotiations to establish a maritime border'” near Taiwan.
Philippines and Japan talk about economic zone
The background is talks between Tokyo and Manila about their maritime borders. Japan and the Philippines announced last month that they would begin formal talks “to determine the maritime border” of a common economic zone – which caused anger in Beijing.
China views democratic and self-governing Taiwan as a breakaway province that should be reunited with the mainland using military means if necessary. It described the talks between Tokyo and Manila as “illegal” and claimed exclusive control over the affected waters.
Manila and Tokyo’s shared reservations about China’s maritime territorial claims have led to increased rapprochement between the two countries in recent years. Sino-Japanese relations, on the other hand, have deteriorated significantly since Japan’s new conservative Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office.