China has launched a special maritime law enforcement operation in the waters east of Taiwan, chinadaily.com reported.
The operations are organized by China's Ministry of Transport and are jointly coordinated by several regional administrative and rescue services, including the country's coast guard.
According to Beijing, the maneuvers aim to fully exercise China's maritime administrative jurisdiction, strengthen deep-sea patrol capacity, improve traffic management in key water areas, and ensure shipping safety.
The operation involves the maritime administrations of Fujian and Guangdong provinces, the East China Sea Navigation Support Center, and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau.
The operation is a direct political and military response to the recent agreement between Japan and the Philippines. The two countries have announced their intention to begin formal negotiations to demarcate and define the maritime boundaries in the same region (east of the island of Taiwan).
The Chinese government has strongly condemned these negotiations, calling them “a serious violation of China's territorial sovereignty and maritime interests, contrary to international law and completely invalid“.
As well as “an attempt at external interference” in an area where, according to Beijing, only China has an exclusive economic zone and continental shelf.
The spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, Zhu Fengliang, warned the authorities in Taipei that if they “colluded with external forces to betray national interests“, they would be punished by history.