China launches maritime operation east of Taiwan

China has launched a special maritime law enforcement operation east of Taiwan in response to planned maritime delimitation talks between Japan and the Philippines, triggering a naval response from Taipei as tensions escalate in the region. China's Ministry of Transport announced Saturday that the operation was coordinated with local authorities and aimed at exercising maritime administrative law enforcement jurisdiction and safeguarding national rights and interests. The dispute stems from a May 28 summit in Tokyo where Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the start of talks on delimiting their respective exclusive economic zones and continental shelves, an area that overlaps with waters east of Taiwan. Taiwan's coast guard deployed at least five vessels to respond to the Chinese operation, monitoring four Chinese government ships that departed from the Port of Xiamen. According to Taiwan, the Chinese vessels transmitted messages claiming they were conducting law enforcement operations and asserting that "the future of Taiwan is in national reunification." Taiwan's coast guard responded with broadcasts stating: "Stop undermining peace. You should return and seek democracy - that is the correct path to serving your country." China's Foreign Ministry insisted that any maritime delimitation negotiations involving waters east of Taiwan must involve China, accusing Japan and the Philippines of violating international law by excluding Beijing from the discussions. Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu condemned the Chinese operation as "highly provocative," calling China "a big bully" and warning that a fleet of large ships had departed Xiamen toward Taiwan's Eastern Exclusive Economic Zone "just to show off." Taiwan maintained that China has no sovereign rights in the waters east of the island and declared that "Taiwan's maritime sovereignty does not accept provocations." Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara stated that any agreement reached between Japan and the Philippines "would not be legally binding on any third party," while tensions between China and Japan have simmered since November 2025 when Takaichi warned that a Chinese attempt to take over Taiwan could be grounds for military intervention. China subsequently accused Takaichi of explicitly framing a Taiwan scenario as a "survival-threatening situation," a narrative Beijing said has historically served as a tactic for Japanese militarism.