China significantly increased its maritime presence around Taiwan in July, deploying a record number of coast guard, scientific research, and other government vessels, according to Taiwan’s coast guard. The surge in activity reflects Beijing’s intensifying pressure on Taipei amid ongoing territorial disputes between the two sides.

Official data shows that 244 Chinese ships were detected near Taiwan’s main island in July, averaging nearly eight vessels per day. This marks a sharp rise compared with 55 ships in June, 30 in May, and 58 in July 2025. In the first 21 days of August, 152 vessels were recorded. Approximately 60 percent of these ships were coast guard vessels, with the remainder consisting of research and other government boats. These figures exclude Chinese naval warships, which China’s military routinely deploys around Taiwan.

Taiwanese authorities characterize the situation as increasingly severe, noting the unprecedented scale of Chinese ships entering waters surrounding the island. A senior coast guard official, speaking anonymously, said China “has never ruled Taiwan for even a single day” and argued that without sovereignty over Taiwan’s landmass, Beijing has no legitimate claim to the island’s maritime zones.

Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control over the island. Alongside frequent naval patrols, China has employed so-called "grey zone" tactics—actions that stop short of open conflict but aim to assert its maritime claims and authority in the region. Such tactics are also used by China in the contested South China Sea, where overlapping claims have heightened regional tensions.

Taiwanese officials and analysts highlight the strategic purpose behind China’s maritime presence. With over 120 oceanographic research vessels operating in the Asia-Pacific, China is reportedly using some to conduct oceanographic sampling and seabed surveys in waters near Taiwan. The Taiwanese coast guard has tracked 41 of these vessels in the area, including the Tong Ji, which in May circled Taiwan, operating near restricted waters and ignoring orders from Taiwan’s coast guard to leave. These scientific missions are believed to support China’s antisubmarine warfare capabilities by enhancing its data on underwater terrain and environmental conditions.

In June, China also conducted its first law enforcement patrol in waters east of Taiwan, increasing concerns about Beijing’s efforts to extend its influence in the Taiwan Strait. Earlier this month, China imposed “traffic control measures” in the Taiwan Strait amid the approach of Typhoon Dolphin, further complicating maritime navigation.

Ryan Martinson, a maritime strategy expert at the US Naval War College, noted that while these research vessels are operated by civilian institutes, the data they collect is shared with the Chinese military and is strategically valuable, especially for antisubmarine and submarine warfare operations. A Taiwanese security official described China’s approach as “authoritarian expansionism” that is gradually pushing boundaries through incremental "salami-slicing" tactics.

The growing Chinese maritime presence around Taiwan underscores the island’s ongoing vulnerability and the escalating geopolitical contest in the Taiwan Strait.