A think tank in United States has indicated that Chinese military is using civilian fishing vessels to carry out ‘gray zone’ tactics in the Taiwan Strait.
Published: October 26, 2025 5:56 PM IST
Taipei: The Chinese maritime militia is using civilian fishing boats to carry out ‘gray zone’ strategies in the Taiwan Strait, the Taipei Times reported, citing a US-based think tank. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), China is deploying multifunctional fishing boats to execute surveillance operations and intimidation efforts. The aim is to exert pressure and support military operations while avoiding direct confrontation.
A report by CSIS dated October 8 stated that its analysts have been keeping an eye on Chinese ships. The analysts have been tracking GPS and automatic identification system (AIS) signals from over 310 Chinese fishing ships bearing China’s flag. The tracking was done in order to distinguish those operated by China’s maritime militia from other civilian vessels, as reported by the Taipei Times.
The CSIS research team mapped locations of actual fishing activities worldwide to differentiate Chinese military vessels masquerading as fishing boats. This analysis is based on data collected during the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Joint Sword-2024A and 2024B exercises, according to the CSIS.
Researchers identified 128 to 209 Chinese boats as suspicious because they spent over 30 per cent of their sailing time in training areas or less than 10 per cent in fishing waters. They also discovered that 209 vessels showed AIS irregularities, including “going dark,” changing identifiers, or altering their AIS movements to conceal their presence while in or near military exercise zones, the CSIS noted, as reported by the Taipei Times.
Some of these vessels altered their names in the international shipping registry during periods of AIS blackout or weak signal. One vessel reportedly used 11 different mobile maritime service identification serial numbers, changing them 1,300 times within a year, according to the CSIS.
The think tank suggested that the intelligence agencies of the US and its allies should trace the corporate ownership networks associated with these suspicious vessels to identify the shell companies China utilises for operating disguised military boats.
“Publishing and penalizing a continually updated blacklist of repeat offenders through sanctions on owners, insurers, and operators would increase costs and diminish deniability,” the CSIS further stated.
In the meantime, the Ministry of National Defense reported to lawmakers last week that the PLA had conducted 3,003 sorties across the Taiwan Strait median line and sent 2,000 vessels into the nation’s exclusive economic zone from January to last month, as cited by the Taipei Times.
As per the report, China usually conducts operations involving aircraft and vessels in the waters near Taiwan approx 3-4 times a month.
To counter this, Taiwan is developing long-range uncrewed vehicles loaded with high-resolution optical devices, lights, infrared instruments, and radar systems to boost its air force and navy’s reconnaissance capabilities.
Taiwan’s armed forces continue to use joint intelligence gathering systems to identify and track Chinese activities in their maritime space. The army also use joint intelligence gathering systems in order to take appropriate actions to any potentially threatening movements to safeguard the nation’s security.
(With ANI Inputs)
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