Taiwan has upgraded its maritime patrol capability around the Pratas Islands in the disputed South China Sea, citing increased Chinese activity near the remote, Taiwan-controlled outpost.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard said its patrol and enforcement capacity in waters around Pratas had been comprehensively strengthened. The measures include the formal deployment of a newly built 100-tonne-class patrol boat following the completion of a wharf project in July.
According to the Coast Guard, the vessel will improve nearshore patrol coverage and provide faster mobile response capability around the islands. Larger patrol vessels are also now being deployed regularly in surrounding waters, adding what the agency described as multi-layered deterrence and mobile enforcement capacity.
Operational context
The Pratas Islands lie roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, more than 400 km from Taiwan. Security experts consider the location vulnerable because of its distance from Taiwan’s main island.
The latest upgrade comes as Chinese coast guard ships have increased patrol activity near Pratas. The most recent reported Chinese patrol in the area took place earlier this month. Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory, a position rejected by the government in Taipei, and does not recognise Taiwan’s sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard, rather than its military, is responsible for security at Pratas. The islands have an airstrip but no permanent civilian population. The area is also designated as a national park, with largely untouched reefs and very limited tourism.
The Coast Guard said it had confiscated nine Chinese fishing boats around Pratas since the beginning of the year. Those vessels have been repurposed for reef patrol and marine conservation work.
Pratas is one of Taiwan’s South China Sea outposts. Taiwan also controls Itu Aba in the disputed Spratly Islands and claims nearby uninhabited Zhongzhou Reef.
The patrol expansion underlines the growing operational role of Taiwan’s Coast Guard in maintaining presence and conducting enforcement around its remote maritime positions, particularly as Chinese coast guard activity increases in contested waters.