China announces maritime operation near Taiwan's eastern waters

China's Ministry of Transport announced the launch of a special maritime operation involving regional maritime services in the provinces of Guangdong and Fujian and the structures of the East China Sea Region.

This was reported by the Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

The measures include strengthening control over shipping, expanding patrols in remote maritime areas and ensuring the safety of maritime traffic. It also provides for strengthening China's administrative and legal supervision at sea and control of key shipping routes.

The ministry's reports state that the measures are aimed at strengthening maritime administrative law enforcement, controlling traffic in key water areas, and protecting shipping safety and state interests.

Beijing links the decision to negotiations between Japan and the Philippines on the delimitation of maritime zones east of Taiwan. The Chinese side regards these actions as a violation of its sovereign rights and maritime interests.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said that the initiatives of Japan and the Philippines contradict the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). According to her, China believes that it has the right to an exclusive economic zone in this water area, and any delimitation of maritime borders requires its participation.

Recall that since October 2025, Chinese dredgers have been conducting large-scale soil dredging on Antelope Reef - in the Paracel Islands, 400 kilometers off the coast of Vietnam. As of February 2026, 22 dredgers were operating there simultaneously. Satellite images show several square kilometers of washed-up land, more than 50 structures with gray roofs, a helipad, a concrete plant, and a dam. The island's straight northwestern edge is estimated to be capable of serving as an airstrip about 2.7 kilometers long.