Taiwan Reports Record High Mainland Chinese Vessel Activity in August

Taiwan’s defence ministry said that in the first 24 days of August it detected mainland coastguard, survey and other official vessels a total of 118 times, surpassing the 117 reported in July and 111 in June. Those numbers were far higher than in any previous month on record since Taiwan began releasing detection data in July 2024. Before June, the highest count of mainland government ships in a single month was 50 in April 2025, according to a tally by the SCMP. That record-breaking intensity of activity aligns with findings from an August 19 report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI), which noted a “more sustained and assertive presence” by mainland Chinese law-enforcement and survey vessels in waters east of Taiwan.