Mainland holds patrol in Taiwan Straits

Fujian Maritime Safety Administration and Donghai Rescue Bureau, both under the Chinese Ministry of Transport, jointly conducted maritime patrol and law enforcement operations in the Taiwan Straits from Saturday to Sunday, with a total duration of 30.5 hours and a total cruising distance of 413 nautical miles.

Experts said the operation has enhanced the Chinese mainland's maritime management agency's control over maritime traffic and emergency rescue capabilities in the Taiwan Straits. Previously, maritime departments from the mainland had already achieved regular law enforcement patrols in the waters near Kinmen, and now this "regularization" has been further extended, they noted.

The operation was jointly carried out by a patrol flotilla consisting of three vessels, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.

The primary tasks of the operation involved patrolling the waters of the Taiwan Straits, examining coastal shipping routes, anchorages, offshore construction sites, high-risk collision zones for commercial and fishing vessels, busy traffic areas, accident-prone zones, Taiwan Shoal, and other waterways, according to the report.

Additionally, tasks include investigating and addressing maritime traffic violations, upholding navigational regulations, inspecting shipping routes in the central Taiwan Straits, organizing and controlling traffic, conducting spot checks on passing vessels, and inspecting on-site the implementation of emergency search and rescue plans.

The operation also involves inspecting and verifying navigational aids in the Taiwan Straits, confirming ship identification code details on-site, testing communication capabilities over land and sea, and ensuring the orderly conduct of radio communications on the water. Since the fishing ban in the southeastern coast of China was lifted on Friday, a large number of fishing vessels entered the Taiwan Straits, increasing the risk of collisions between commercial and fishing vessels, CCTV said. 

The operation reached within two nautical miles east of the middle of the Taiwan Straits, and the southernmost point reached the Taiwan Shoal, covering an area that was wider than in previous years, Yuyuan Tantian, a social media account affiliated with state broadcaster CCTV, said in a post on WeChat on Sunday.

Due to geographical reasons, the Taiwan Straits has relatively large winds and waves, making it prone to accidents. The operation served to protect the safety of navigation for ships passing by, and also to demonstrate the mainland's jurisdiction over the relevant waters of the Taiwan Straits, an expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.