Key facts
- China has launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan.
- The patrol escalates a dispute involving the U.S., France, Germany, and Britain.
- Taiwan claims China is using its coast guard for "lawfare" to assert territorial claims.
- A new coastguard force was deployed by Beijing into waters east of Taiwan.
China has initiated a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, escalating a territorial dispute that has drawn in the United States, France, Germany, and Britain. Taiwan has stated that China is increasingly employing its coast guard for "lawfare" tactics to bolster its territorial claims in the waters east of the island. Beijing has deployed a new coastguard force into these contested waters.