Beijing claims part of the Pacific near Taiwan as sovereign Chinese water

On July 4, Beijing announced it had launched a new sea patrol to replace a group of ships that, in June, were an integral part of China’s effort to control waters far from its shoreline. In an extraordinary move last month, Beijing claimed part of the Pacific Ocean as sovereign Chinese water.  

On June 6, China’s Ministry of Transport launched “a special maritime law enforcement operation in the waters east of Taiwan Island.” Vessels from the Fujian and Guangdong Maritime Safety Administrations, the East China Sea Navigation Support Center and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau took part, sailing eastward through the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. 

According to Beijing, the operation lasted five days and Chinese ships inspected 198 vessels. All the Chinese ships taking part in the operation were civilian, which emphasized the point that Beijing was enforcing its laws over waters it considered part of the People’s Republic of China. 

These waters were east of the main island of Taiwan and beyond 12 nautical miles from its shores. Coastal states can claim everything within 12 nautical miles of its shoreline as territorial or sovereign water. This means China, by its actions, was claiming as sovereign a portion of the Pacific recognized by the rest of the world, pursuant to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and customary international law, as part of the global commons. 

Beijing stated that the maritime action was in response to May 28 talks between Japan and the Philippines to settle their overlapping claims to exclusive economic zones in the area. These........

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