Taiwan and China are currently engaged in a dispute concerning the legality of Chinese coast guard patrols conducted in the waters east of Taiwan.

台灣與中國目前正就中國海警在台灣東方海域巡邏的合法性展開爭議。

The current tension originated following the announcement of formal maritime boundary negotiations between Japan and the Philippines. The Chinese Ministry of Transport subsequently initiated a 'special maritime law enforcement operation,' which Beijing asserts is a necessary measure to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime interests against perceived infringements by the aforementioned parties. This deployment has resulted in reports of Chinese vessels requesting origin and destination data from commercial shipping, an action Taipei interprets as an unauthorized assertion of jurisdictional authority.

目前的緊張局勢源於日本與菲律賓宣布正式進行海上邊界談判。中國交通部隨後啟動了「海上特別執法行動」，北京聲稱這是為了保障國家主權與海上利益，防止上述各方侵犯的必要措施。此次部署導致有報告指出，中國船隻要求商業貨輪提供起航地與目的地數據，台北將此舉視為未經授權的管轄權主張。

In response, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has characterized these operations as a pretext for regional expansion and a challenge to the international rules-based order. MOFA spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung have both maintained that Beijing lacks the legal basis to exercise enforcement powers in these waters. Furthermore, Taipei has invoked the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties to argue that bilateral agreements between Japan and the Philippines cannot unilaterally prejudice the rights of third parties. While Japan has provided assurances that such negotiations will not undermine Taiwanese interests, Taipei continues to advocate for the inclusion of its overlapping claims in any delimitation of exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelves.

對此，台灣外交部將這些行動定性為區域擴張的藉口，以及對國際基於規則秩序的挑戰。外交部發言人蕭光偉與外交部長林佳龍均維持北京在這些海域行使執法權缺乏法律依據的立場。此外，台北引用《維也納條約法公約》主張，日本與菲律賓之間的雙邊協議不能單方面損害第三方的權利。雖然日本已保證此類談判不會損害台灣利益，但台北繼續主張在任何專屬經濟區（EEZ）與大陸架的劃界中，應將其重疊權益納入考慮。

Institutional positions remain polarized. The Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing maintains that its patrols are legitimate exercises of sovereignty. Conversely, the administration in Taipei rejects Beijing's claims of sovereignty and characterizes the operations as destabilizing to the status quo. This impasse is further compounded by Beijing's refusal to engage in dialogue with President Lai Ching-te, whom the mainland authorities have designated as a separatist.

機構立場依然極端對立。北京的國台辦堅持認為巡邏是合法行使主權。相反，台北政府拒絕北京的主權主張，並將這些行動定性為破壞現狀。由於北京拒絕與被大陸當局定義為「分裂分子」的賴清德總統對話，使這一僵局進一步複雜化。

The situation remains characterized by continued Chinese maritime patrols and reciprocal diplomatic condemnations between Taipei and Beijing.

目前的局面仍以中國持續進行海上巡邏，以及台北與北京之間互接外交譴責為特徵。