China’s Maritime Activities Around Taiwan

September 15, 2026

The United States and its allies should view Beijing’s increasingly assertive maritime activity around Taiwan as potential rehearsals for establishing strategic dominance rather than as scientific exercises. The use of dual-use vessels by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) reflects a wider strategy of weaponising civilian platforms for military advantages. If left unchecked, such maritime intrusions could create conditions for a blockade, invasion or forced annexation. It warned that Beijing’s aggressive move in Taiwan’s waters exposes the CCP’s persistent efforts to weaken the island’s autonomy and pave the way for its eventual annexation. The recent sighting of the mainland Chinese research vessel Tong Ji near Taiwan’s largest naval base is not an isolated incident but part of a calculated campaign to normalize China’s presence around the island. Commissioned in 2025, the 2,000-tonne vessel is equipped with advanced sonar, acoustic sensors, and remotely operated vehicles capable of mapping seabeds and collecting data with direct military applications. While presented as “scientific research,” these missions are thinly veiled intelligence operations, laying the groundwork for future naval and submarine warfare. The Tong Ji has now been detected three times near Taiwan since May, each time operating close to sensitive naval installations. Its latest appearance southwest of Liuqiu Island near Kaohsiung, home to Taiwan’s naval academy and largest base underscores Beijing’s intent to probe Taiwan’s defences. Taiwanese coastguards shadowed the vessel and issued warnings, but the ship’s repeated returns highlight China’s disregard for Taiwan’s sovereignty and its willingness to test the limits of Taiwan’s response. Beijing has increasingly deployed “civilian” research and lawenforcement patrols around Taiwan along with military manoeuvres. The activities intensified after Japan and the Philippines announced in June plans to delineate their maritime boundaries east of Taiwan, a move Beijing condemned as an infringement on its sovereignty. Shortly afterwards, another Chinese vessel, Lan Hai 201, carried out a fisheries survey east of Taiwan, fuelling suspicions of dual-use intelligence collection. The CCP’s strategy is unmistakable: use research ships, coastguard patrols, and military drills to encircle Taiwan, erode its autonomy, and prepare the ground for annexation. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to reunify Taiwan with the mainland, and these actions demonstrate how commerce, science, and law enforcement are weaponized to advance its expansionist agenda. By embedding vessels with advanced sensors near Taiwan’s naval bases, China gains critical data for submarine navigation, antisubmarine warfare, and seabed mapping all essential for a potential blockade or invasion.