The Chinese Coast Guard demonstrated the capabilities of one of its largest ships, used to enforce maritime law in the Taiwan Strait, to Pacific Island ministers last week. It is also actively involved in debates on the rules of high seas boarding, according to documents and interviews with Pacific fisheries officials.
“Hosting the leaders, demonstrating their capabilities in terms of maritime operations, those kind of things are indications they want to step into that space,“ said Allan Rahari, director of fisheries operations for the Forum Fisheries Agency, in an interview with Reuters.
The biggest fishing fleets in the Pacific, attracting the most infringement notices by inspectors, are Chinese and Taiwanese.
China registered 26 coast guard vessels with the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in 2024 for high seas boarding and inspections in a vast region where the U.S. and Australia have the biggest inspection fleets.
China last year called for a review of the guidelines, and in March, Chinese officials attended a video meeting about an Australian-led effort to strengthen voluntary rules, she said.
Rahari said it could be “very complicated” diplomatically if a Chinese coast guard vessel sought to board a Taiwanese fishing boat. Beijing does not recognise Taiwan as a separate country. Chinese officials and the Chinese Coast Guard did not respond to Reuters requests for comment. Australia declined to comment, while Taiwan and the U.S. Coast Guard did not respond to requests for comment.
Foreign ministers from 10 Pacific Island nations visited the coastal Chinese city of Xiamen and toured Haixun 06, which can travel 18,500 km (11,470 miles or 10,000 nautical miles) or 60 days without resupply.
PNG is negotiating a new defence treaty with Australia, and struck a 2023 security deal with the United States allowing the U.S. Coast Guard to patrol PNG's 2.7 million square kilometre exclusive economic zone.
Nauru’s government broadcaster posted photographs on social media of the Haixun 06 drill, which it said “reaffirmed the importance of maritime cooperation between China and Pacific Island nations”. Under a security treaty struck in December, Nauru must notify Australia before the Chinese navy comes to port.
“The key considerations for China is stepping into that space without stepping on other partners toes, because that will then create conflicts within the region and that is something we don’t want,“ Rahari said.
Since 2008, Chinese fishing vessels were issued with 158 infringements, or 46% of Chinese boardings by WCPFC inspectors including the U.S., France and Australia, WCPFC data shows. Taiwanese fishing boats were issued 233 infringements.
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