CCG conducts law enforcement patrols around Taiwan island; expert says drills aim to prevent separatists from fleeing

The China Coast Guard (CCG) announced on Monday that its formations 2901, 1305, 1303 and 2102 conducted law enforcement patrols in the waters surrounding Taiwan island. Liu Dejun, spokesperson of the CCG, said that it is a concrete action to lawfully enforce control over Taiwan island in accordance with the one-China principle.

On the same day, the Fujian Coast Guard said that it organized a formation of vessels to conduct comprehensive law enforcement patrols in the waters near the islands of Dongyin and Matsu. The patrols conducted by the Fujian Coast Guard focused on exercises such as verification and identification, boarding inspections, and control and expulsion operations. These activities were aimed at assessing rapid response and emergency handling capabilities, according to the CCG.

An expert told the Global Times on condition of anonymity on Monday that the CCG conducted multi-unit, multi-formation, and multi-subject drills around the island of Taiwan, focusing on strengthening the control network around the island.

Along with the blockade of key ports and areas around the island by the PLA Eastern Theater Command, the involvement of the maritime law enforcement forces will aid in inspecting and controlling atypical military targets, effectively preventing "Taiwan independence" separatists from evading sanctions under the guise of civilian purposes, the expert noted.

The message and diagram released by the CCG indicated that its formations have navigated waters near Taiwan, effectively surrounding the island. Unlike the specific latitude and longitude details provided in the operational maps of the Fujian coast guard, the CCG diagram lacks precise coordinates, instead, it uses arrows to give a general indication of the routes. This suggests that the law enforcement actions did not follow a fixed cruise line but covered a large area around the island, the expert said.

This indicates that the CCG, as a maritime law enforcement force, will intensify and increase the frequency of its activities around Taiwan, implementing comprehensive control in accordance with national laws. This will further restrict the operational space of "Taiwan independence" separatist forces, promote the peaceful reunification of the motherland, and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits, noted the expert.

According to the CCG diagram released on Monday, in the eastern direction of the island, the CCG deployed one of its largest vessels, the 2901 vessel. According to the expert, this is the ship's first participation in a mission related to the island of Taiwan.

The ship has a displacement of over 10,000 tons, can reach a speed of as high as 25 knots, and is equipped with a 76mm rapid-fire gun. Whether in terms of collision resistance, endurance, self-supply, or comprehensive law enforcement capabilities at sea, the ship can effectively prevent "Taiwan independence" separatists from fleeing, and can carry out control tasks in the eastern waters near the island for extended periods, serving as a comprehensive platform at sea, according to the expert.

The expert also said the entry of the CCG into the waters surrounding Matsu island holds significant importance. Through this action, the CCG is able to strengthen control over the outer region of the Taiwan island that is close to the mainland. In the future, regular law enforcement patrols may occur around Matsu island, said the expert.

The drills are also intended to prevent "Taiwan independence" separatists from fleeing via maritime routes when the PLA enforces comprehensive control over the island, as well as to stop individuals posing as civilians from secretly infiltrating the island by sea, the expert said.

On Monday, the PLA Eastern Theater Command dispatched its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct joint military drills code-named Joint Sword-2024B in the Taiwan Straits and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan island.

The drill serves as a stern warning to the separatist acts of"Taiwan Independence" forces, Senior Captain Li Xi, spokesperson of the PLA Eastern Theater Command, said in a statement released early Monday morning.