Chinese Coast Guard vessel 3501 entered restricted waters around the Pratas Islands on May 23, 2026, prompting Taiwan to dispatch its Taichung patrol ship for a close-range response and radio exchange over sovereignty. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration
Taiwan’s national security chief said China deployed more than 100 vessels across the First Island Chain in the days after President Donald Trump’s Beijing summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, warning that Beijing is threatening regional peace and stability.
Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, wrote on X on May 23 that Taiwan’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance showed China had deployed more than 100 vessels “around the 1st Island Chain” over the previous few days. He said the timing came shortly after the Beijing summit and accused China of “wrecking the status quo” in the region.
Deployment Across Strategic Waters
China has increased its naval, coast guard, and auxiliary vessel presence around the First Island Chain, a series of islands and archipelagos stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines. Taiwan has not publicly released a vessel-by-vessel breakdown by type, location, or duration.
