China expands maritime surveys east of Taiwan to bolster claims

China's Ministry of Natural Resources carried out a three‑day marine environmental survey in the waters east of Taiwan from 16‑18 June, using the research vessel Xiangyanghong 22. The operation collected data on seawater environmental DNA, birds, whales, dolphins, marine chemistry, hydrology and meteorology, and marked the first routine inclusion of avian and cetacean monitoring in the area.

State media says the surveys are part of a "near‑shore governance" model that treats the sea east of Taiwan as China's "near seas," reducing references to the Taiwan Strait. The data are intended to support territorial planning, development and protection, including potential resource extraction, aquaculture, and the construction of underwater infrastructure such as cables, pipelines and tunnels.

The surveys accompany other Chinese activities – military drills, coast‑guard patrols and coordinated operations near the Pratas Islands – which Taiwan's coast guard described as a provocation. The moves come as Japan and the Philippines deepen defence cooperation to counter Chinese expansion, a partnership Beijing has publicly denounced.