China Coast Guard Intensifies Patrols in Disputed Waters

The China Coast Guard (CCG) has significantly escalated its maritime presence across the East and South China Seas to assert territorial sovereignty. Chief Zhang Jianming announced that the agency patrolled the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands for 357 days in 2025. Over the last five years, the CCG deployed more than 550,000 vessel sorties and 6,000 aircraft to protect maritime rights in the East China Sea, South China Sea, and Yellow Sea, specifically aiming to deter Taiwan from pursuing independence.

In the South China Sea, analysis from the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative shows the CCG more than doubled its presence at Scarborough Shoal in 2025, recording 1,099 ship days. While Beijing reduced patrols at Thitu Island and Ayungin Shoal, it concentrated resources on Scarborough and Escoda Shoal. In September 2025, the State Council of the People's Republic of China proposed a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, a move rejected by the Philippines as an unlawful attempt to consolidate control.

Regional tensions remain high. In the East China Sea, Japan and China reported conflicting accounts of a December incident involving the expulsion of fishing and coast guard vessels. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated Japan might intervene if China attacks Taiwan, prompting Tokyo to advise fishermen to avoid the disputed areas. On January 30, 2026, the CCG conducted patrols around Huangyan Dao, where it also performed emergency rescues for Filipino sailors involved in a shipwreck.