### China Deploys Massive Coast Guard Vessel in Military Exercise Near Taiwan

For the first time, China has deployed one of its colossal coast guard vessels during a military exercise around Taiwan, escalating tensions in the region. The one-day "Joint Sword-2024B" exercise took place on Monday, involving one of China's so-called "monster ships," known for their significant size and capabilities.

The exercise, which was conducted in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding areas to the north, south, and east of Taiwan, saw an unprecedented show of force from the Chinese military, which sent 125 aircraft, 17 warships, and 17 coast guard vessels. According to the Taiwanese military, at least four Chinese vessel formations carried out what China's coast guard referred to as "law enforcement patrols" in the waters around Taiwan. Beijing asserts these patrols are actions to "manage and control" Taiwan under the one-China principle.

The Chinese coast guard vessel with hull number 2901, a 12,000-ton behemoth and one of the world's largest coast guard ships, led one of these formations. Known as a "monster ship," it is comparable in size to the Chinese Type 055 destroyer, which displaces 13,000 tons. In contrast, Taiwan's largest surface combatant, the Kee Lung-class destroyer, has a displacement of 9,500 tons. The 2901 is 541 feet long and capable of speeds exceeding 28 miles per hour, boasting superior endurance, collision resistance, seaworthiness, and speed over other regional coast guard ships.

Chinese state media highlighted that this deployment marked the first Taiwan mission for the 2901 vessel. Its sister ship, the 5901, remains stationed in the South China Sea, where China has ongoing territorial disputes with nations like the Philippines and Vietnam. A Chinese military-published map, which remains unverified, suggested that the coast guard vessels 2901, 1305, 1303, and 2102 circumnavigated Taiwan in an anticlockwise direction, placing the 2901 in eastern Taiwanese waters.

Taiwanese sources observed that the 2901 and three other ships were operating in waters northeast of Taiwan on Saturday, with both Taiwanese and Japanese coast guards monitoring their movements. On Monday, another group of Chinese coast guard vessels carried out "law-enforcement patrols" near the Taiwanese outlying islands of Dongyin and Matsu, as reported by the Chinese military.

The Taiwanese coast guard reported expelling four Chinese ships that had entered restricted waters off the Matsu Islands, which are located closer to mainland China. The Matsu Islands lie just off China's southeastern coast.

A Pentagon report from October 2023 noted that China's coast guard has the largest maritime law enforcement fleet globally, comprising over 150 vessels each weighing more than 1,000 tons, including 20 former navy corvettes. China's coast guard has been extending its patrols beyond the contested East and South China Seas into the broader Pacific Ocean. Recently, China dispatched two maritime law enforcement vessels to the Arctic Ocean for patrols that took them near Alaska.