In a span of just a few weeks, China’s ships have carried out “law enforcement” activities farther from its mainland than ever before, mapped a highly sensitive seabed and conducted “research” inside a highly contested lagoon more than 500 miles from its shores.
China has long been accused of “salami-slicing” to advance its territorial claims in the Pacific, taking small steps well below the threshold of kinetic war to assert its control over areas where its claims to sovereignty under international law are unclear at best – and illegal at worst
Analysts say the latest moves are an attempt to advance its presence beyond an island chain seen by Beijing and Washington as a critical line of control in the western Pacific. They add they could be particularly worrying for Taiwan, the self-ruled island China has vowed to “reunify” with one day – by force if necessary.
The flurry of maritime maneuvers followed a visit to Beijing by US President Donald Trump that was full of bonhomie, but which Chinese leader Xi Jinping also used to make one thing very clear: the biggest issue that could derail US-China relations was Taiwan.
Earlier this month three vessels from the China’s Maritime Safety Agency (MSA) a civilian law enforcement organization sailed through the Bashi Channel between the Philippines and Taiwan to begin law enforcement and mapping activities in waters east of Taiwan.
