Threats to Maritime Trade are Spreading to the Indo-Pacific

9 Jul 2026 12:13 PM

The ‘Bashi Breakout’ – China’s maritime operation east of Taiwan – is a warning that disruption to maritime trade is spreading to the Indo-Pacific.

The Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) and Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) recently conducted a four-day patrol of waters east of Taiwan. Initially justified as a response to Philippine and Japanese negotiations on demarcating their Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundaries that run through this area, People’s Republic of China (PRC) state media has since announced this is but the first in a series of deployments intended to consolidate its claimed jurisdiction over these waters.

This would therefore appear to be a continuation of PRC tactics used in the South China Seas (SCS), using coastguard and paramilitary vessels to enforce its claims, in a manner designed to minimise international backlash.

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