Key facts
- Senior foreign diplomats in Taipei warned that China's maritime pressure against Taiwan aims to redefine rules at sea.
- The U.S. top diplomat questioned negativity surrounding Taiwan's energy security in a blockade scenario.
- The UK, Germany, and France's de facto embassies in Taiwan issued a joint statement expressing concern over China's "special maritime law enforcement operations" east of Taiwan.
- These actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping, according to the joint statement.
- The U.S. stated that China's actions are deeply destabilizing and undermine peaceful resolution of issues.
- Taiwan reported that Chinese vessels have been intercepting passing merchant ships east of Taiwan.
Senior foreign diplomats in Taipei have warned that China's escalating maritime pressure against Taiwan is an attempt to redefine the rules at sea, according to a forum on September 19, 2026. The top U.S. diplomat questioned widespread negativity surrounding the island democracy's energy security in a blockade scenario.
In a joint statement issued on June 24, 2026, the British Office Taipei, the German Institute Taipei, and the French Office in Taipei expressed concern over China's recent "special maritime law enforcement operations" in waters east of Taiwan. They stated that such behavior threatens regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping. The three offices reiterated their opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion, emphasizing the fundamental importance of guaranteeing navigational rights and freedoms and the safety of seafarers and vessels.
The U.S. State Department spokesperson also raised alarm, stating that China's actions are deeply destabilizing and that Beijing is undermining the peaceful resolution of issues it claims to seek. The U.S. official rejected any assertion by China of authority to interfere with freedoms of navigation or overflight, the freedom to lay cables, or other lawful uses of the sea.
Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration reported that over the past weeks, Chinese coast guard and other official vessels have been operating in waters east of Taiwan and around Taiwan-controlled islands, and have even intercepted passing merchant ships. Taiwan maintains that the waters off its east coast are not China's and that Beijing has no right to claim jurisdiction. China, however, stated that the patrols were lawful, legitimate, and necessary to "safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests."