Taiwan Drives Away 16 Chinese Vessels in Coordinated Incursion

Taiwan's coastguard confronted and drove away 16 Chinese coastguard, research and fishing vessels on Sunday in what Taipei called a coordinated "hybrid warfare" operation around the island's main territory and the disputed Pratas Island, according to a coastguard statement reported by Al Jazeera.

How Many Chinese Ships Did Taiwan Confront?

The 16-vessel group included four fishing boats operating alongside coastguard and research ships in what Taiwan's coastguard described as simultaneous operations near Taiwan's main island and Pratas, also known as Dongsha, Al Jazeera reported. The coastguard called the number of participating vessels "unusually large" and said some craft entered Taiwan's restricted waters before being pushed back.

What Did Taiwan's Coastguard Call the Operation?

Taiwan's coastguard said its ships took "forceful action immediately to effectively neutralise the threats," according to the statement cited by Al Jazeera. The agency accused Beijing of coordinating the vessels to create a "false impression of jurisdiction" over the waters.

"Attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo" — Taiwan's coastguard, describing the intent behind the Chinese vessel deployment, per Al Jazeera.

Beijing claims both Taiwan and Pratas Island as its territory and asserts jurisdiction over the surrounding waters — a position Taipei rejects. China has repeatedly said it reserves the right to use force to bring Taiwan under its control.

How Does This Compare to Recent Months?

Sunday's incident follows a measurable rise in Chinese maritime activity near Taiwan this year. Taiwanese official data cited by Al Jazeera show Beijing deployed a record 244 coastguard, scientific-research and other vessels around Taiwan's main island in July — more than four times the 58 ships recorded in the same month a year earlier. In the first 21 days of August, Taiwan detected 152 vessels, most from the China Coast Guard but including fishing boats and research ships, according to the same data. Those tallies do not include Chinese warships, which Taiwan says patrol near the island on a near-daily basis and are counted separately.

By the Numbers

• 16 Chinese vessels confronted and driven off Sunday, including 4 fishing boats (Taiwan coastguard, via Al Jazeera)
• 244 Chinese ships deployed around Taiwan in July — a monthly record (Taiwanese official data, via Al Jazeera)
• 58 Chinese ships deployed in the same month, July 2025 — the year-earlier comparison (Taiwanese official data, via Al Jazeera)
• 152 vessels detected in the first 21 days of August (Taiwanese official data, via Al Jazeera)

What Is Beijing's Claim to Pratas and Taiwan's Waters?

China's position, as described in the Al Jazeera report, is that Taiwan and Pratas Island fall under its sovereign jurisdiction, a claim that extends to the waters around both. Taiwan disputes that jurisdiction outright and treats the areas as under its own administration, backed by coastguard patrols. The dispute predates this year's vessel surge, but the frequency of encounters has increased: on October 1, Taiwan's coastguard fired water cannon at a Chinese recreational fishing vessel near Pratas, according to Al Jazeera's reporting — a sign that confrontations are no longer limited to large coastguard cutters.

What Happens Next?

Neither Taiwan nor Beijing has signaled a near-term change in posture, based on the material in the Al Jazeera report. Taiwan's coastguard has committed to repelling vessels it deems to be in restricted waters, while Beijing has not issued a public response to the specific Sunday incident in the cited reporting.

What to Watch

• Whether Chinese vessel counts in the fourth quarter approach or exceed the July record of 244, based on Taiwanese tracking data.
• Additional water-cannon or vessel-blocking incidents near Pratas Island, following the October 1 confrontation.
• Whether research vessels — as opposed to coastguard or fishing boats — become a more frequent part of Chinese deployments, a category Taiwan has flagged separately in its statements.
• Any shift in how Taiwan's coastguard characterizes the legal status of the encounters, given its use of the term "hybrid warfare" in Sunday's statement.

The figures in Taiwan's official tracking and the coastguard's characterization of Sunday's incident have not been independently corroborated by Beijing in the material reviewed for this report.