China Deploys Coast Guard ‘Monster Ship’ in War Games To Surround Taiwan

China deployed one of its two “monster ships” from the coast guard during the country’s military exercise surrounding the self-ruled island of Taiwan on Monday for the first time.

The one-day Joint Sword-2024B exercise was held in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south, and east of Taiwan. The Chinese military sent a record 125 aircraft, as well as 17 warships and 17 coast guard vessels, as of 4:30 p.m., the Taiwanese military said.

At least four Chinese vessel formations conducted what the country’s coast guard called “law enforcement patrols” in waters around Taiwan. It claimed that this was a practical action to “manage and control” the breakaway island according to the one-China principle.

Following a civil war that ended in 1949, the mainland of China is ruled by the communist regime, the People’s Republic of China, while Taiwan and its outlying islands form the Republic of China. Both sides continue to claim to be the legitimate government of all of China.

One of the ship formations was led by the Chinese coast guard vessel with a hull number of 2901, which is known as “monster ship” due to its displacement of 12,000 tons. It and its sister ship, which has a hull number of 5901, are the world’s largest coast guard vessels.

In comparison, the Chinese Type 055 destroyer, which is the largest surface combatant in the country, has a displacement of 13,000 tons. Meanwhile, the Kee Lung-class destroyer, the largest Taiwanese surface combatant in service, has a displacement of 9,500 tons.

The armed Chinese “monster ships” are 541 feet long and have a maximum speed of more than 28 miles per hour. Observers said this class of ship has advantages in endurance, collision resistance, seaworthiness, and speed compared to other coast guard ships in the region.

The Chinese state media reported that it was the first time the 2901 conducted a Taiwan mission. Its sister ship, the 5901, was stationed in its assigned area of responsibility in the South China Sea, where Beijing has territorial disputes with the Philippines and Vietnam.

The Chinese military published a map, which Newsweek could not independently verify, claiming the coast guard’s ship formations of 2901, 1305, 1303, and 2102 circumnavigated Taiwan anticlockwise. It also indicated the 2901 was in the eastern waters of Taiwan.

According to the ship and plane spotting group Taiwan ADIZ, the Chinese coast guard vessel 2901 and three other ships transited in waters northeast of Taiwan on Saturday, where both the coast guards of Taiwan and Japan deployed their ships to monitor.

On Monday, another Chinese coast guard ship formation conducted “law-enforcement patrols” in waters near the outlying Taiwanese islands of Dongyin and Matsu, testing the capabilities of quick reaction and emergency management, the Chinese military said.

The Taiwanese coast guard claimed that it had expelled four Chinese coast guard ships that entered the “restricted waters” off the Matsu Islands, which are closer to mainland China than to Taiwan as they are located just off the southeastern coast of the mainland.

In a report issued in October 2023, the Pentagon said the Chinese coast guard has the largest maritime law enforcement fleet in the world, with over 150 vessels that are more than 1,000 tons, including 20 corvettes that were previously served in the country’s navy.

The Chinese coast guard has expanded its presence in the wider Pacific Ocean besides the contested East China Sea and South China Sea. Last month, China sent two maritime law enforcement vessels to the Arctic Ocean for patrols where they transited near Alaska.