US firm: Chinese militia may have been on boat off Taiwan
A US-based military research and analysis firm has suggested that a Chinese marine survey ship that operated off an island in the southwestern Japanese prefecture of Okinawa was led by a fishing boat. It indicates that Chinese maritime militia personnel may have been aboard the boat.
The firm, ingeniSPACE, analyzed the two ships using location data and other information.
The survey ship was seen extending what appeared to be a wire from its stern last month. It was spotted in Japan's exclusive economic zone off Hateruma Island.
The firm says it believes that the fishing boat accompanied the survey ship from shortly after it left a port in China, and that the two joined China Coast Guard vessels in waters east of Taiwan.
The chief operating officer of ingeniSPACE, Jason Wang, described the movement as "highly unusual." He said the fishing boat appeared to be operated by maritime militia, adding that such activity is "part of their operating doctrine."
Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration said it was fully aware of the movements by the survey ship and the fishing boat, and responded appropriately.
China has reacted sharply to the decision by Japan and the Philippines to begin official talks on determining a maritime boundary.
Beijing has been continuously dispatching government ships to the area and appears to be stepping up its activities there.
