【Epoch Times October 8, 2026】Reuters revealed on Thursday (October 8) that Taiwan’s Apex Aviation discovered a Chinese Communist militia fishing boat in the waters off Hualien in mid-August, accompanied by Chinese Coast Guard and research vessels nearby. This is the first known discovery of such militia boats in the eastern waters of Taiwan. Taiwanese officials believe that the Chinese Communist Party may be practicing maritime blockades using different types of vessels.
The waters off eastern Taiwan are crucial as a supply route in the event of war or blockade, where allies may transport supplies to Taiwan. In recent months, China has intensified its coast guard patrols in this area. Taiwanese officials assess that the Beijing authorities are combining military, quasi-military, and civilian forces to conduct exercises for a potential maritime blockade.
According to a monitoring report by Apex Aviation cited by Reuters, on a day in mid-August, the company’s reconnaissance aircraft spotted the fishing boat “Minfu Dingyu 07902”, the Chinese Coast Guard ship 2502, and the research vessel “Xiangyanghong 3” more than 30 nautical miles off the coast of Hualien.
The report indicated that “Minfu Dingyu 07902” also serves as a Chinese Communist militia vessel. Two senior Taiwanese officials who have received relevant briefings confirmed to Reuters that the three ships were indeed active in the waters near Taiwan at the time.
Apex Aviation utilized radar screenshots, infrared images, and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to track the movements of the vessels.
Honor Hung, Director of Defense and Security at Apex Aviation, stated that the three vessels were spread within a radius of about 10 nautical miles, but individual monitoring was insufficient to confirm their missions or whether they were coordinating with each other.
Initially focused on pilot training and charter services, Apex Aviation has gradually expanded its aerial reconnaissance operations in recent years.
According to a statement published on Apex Aviation’s website, the company signed a memorandum of cooperation with Taiwan’s National Sun Yat-sen Research Institute on October 1 to deepen collaboration in aviation technology and defense. During the institute’s visit to Apex Aviation’s Taitung base on that day, Apex’s “Eagle Project” intelligence center showcased the capabilities of the “Eagle” reconnaissance aircraft in collecting information on maritime vessels using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR).
However, Apex Aviation told Reuters that the reconnaissance patrol in August was independently conducted by them and not commissioned by the government.
In response to the monitoring report, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense told Reuters that China was “using law enforcement and scientific research as a cover for harassment, attempting to expand its activities in non-conflict situations, creating the illusion of jurisdiction.”
The Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of China pointed out that such actions undermine international order and challenge Taiwan’s maritime interests. The Taiwanese military is currently utilizing surveillance tools in cooperation with agencies like the Coast Guard to monitor Chinese vessels.
A senior Taiwanese official stated that “Minfu Dingyu 07902” is part of the Chinese military’s maritime militia fleet and was conducting maritime harassment exercises in cooperation with the Chinese Coast Guard at the time.
He said, “The purpose of the militia boat is to engage in tangible harassment.”
Another official noted that the three ships appeared in an area where Chinese vessels are not frequently active and have been designated for enhanced monitoring.
Neither China’s Taiwan Affairs Office nor the Ministry of National Defense responded to Reuters’ requests for comments.
Previously, on August 27, Agence France-Presse also disclosed the incident, mentioning that Chinese maritime militia fishing boats and Coast Guard ships were accompanying the research vessel “Xiangyanghong 3” during activities in surrounding Taiwanese waters.
At the time, Jason Wang, Operations Manager of the satellite imaging and vessel signal analysis company IngeniSPACE, told AFP that “Xiangyanghong 3” had traveled through the deep-sea trenches and above undersea telecommunication cables in Taiwan and Japan’s exclusive economic zones.
He said, “This is the first time we’ve seen maritime militia ships escorting a research vessel in Taiwan’s waters.”
Wang believed that China’s aim was to gather the latest hydrographic data from the Ryukyu Trench and the eastern Taiwan Trench for use in anti-submarine warfare.
Ryan D. Martinson, an expert in Chinese maritime strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, mentioned that while the Chinese research vessels are operated by civilian research institutions, the data they collect is shared with the military.
He stated that such data is of great value to the Chinese navy, particularly for anti-submarine operations and submarine warfare.
Previously, on September 3, the Coast Guard detected Chinese Coast Guard ships 1306 “Putuoshan” and 2502 “Daishan” in the waters east of Green Island, 105 nautical miles and 74 nautical miles away, respectively. Patrol vessels including the “Jian” vessel have continued monitoring these ships.
Among these vessels, 2502 “Daishan” is the same Coast Guard ship reported by Reuters to have appeared off the coast of Hualien in mid-August.
Regarding the so-called patrol activities of Chinese Coast Guard ships in the waters off eastern Taiwan, the Taiwan Coast Guard accused China of “false law enforcement, real expansion of power,” attempting to assert jurisdiction through maritime activities.