TAIPEI/BEIJING — May 25, 2026, 2:32 PM SGT | By Kenji Tanaka, Asia Pacific Correspondent
TAIPEI — A Chinese coast guard vessel withdrew from waters near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands on Sunday after a tense 10-hour maritime standoff, as a separate but linked development saw Japan fire its first offensive anti-ship missile overseas since the end of World War II — a(Type 88 missile) launched during the Balikatan 2026 joint exercise in the Philippines, according to multiple regional defense and news reports.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said the Chinese vessel asserted Beijing’s sovereignty claims during a radio exchange before departing the area. Taiwan responded by rejecting the claims and ordering the ship to leave, in a confrontation that underscores the mounting pressure Taipei faces from China’sExpanded coast guard and naval presence in the South China Sea.
The incident near the Pratas Islands — controlled by Taiwan but claimed by Beijing as part of its sweeping “nine-dash line” sovereignty assertion — comes amid heightened tensions following the May 20 talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The standoff is not isolated. Taiwan’s National Security Council head has issued a stark warning that China has deployed more than 100 naval and coast guard vessels across the First Island Chain in what regional defense analysts describe as the largest coordinated maritime show of force in East Asia in modern history. The deployment coincides with increased PLA air incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and expanded coast guard patrols across the South China Sea.
In a separate but closely related development, Japan fired Type 88 surface-to-ship missiles during the Balikatan 2026 exercise in northern Luzon on Wednesday, May 6, marking the first time Tokyo has launched offensive missiles from foreign soil since 1945. Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi witnessed the live-fire drill alongside his Philippine counterpart. The exercise, the largest Balikatan edition since the 1990s, also marks the first time Japan has deployed combat forces to Philippine soil since World War II.
China’s Foreign Ministry condemned the missile launch, accusing Tokyo of breaching its post-war exclusively defense-oriented policy and warned that Japan’s “neo-militarism” threatens regional peace and stability. “Japan once invaded and imposed colonial rule over the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries, and thus shoulder grave historical responsibilities,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
The back-to-back confrontations reflect a rapidly shifting security landscape in the Indo-Pacific, where China’s expanding coast guard and naval footprint, the U.S.-Philippines-Japan alliance deepening, and Taiwan’s mounting isolation are converging into what analysts describe as a structural flashpoint.
Taiwan’s government has condemned China’s actions at the Pratas Islands and called on the international community to uphold freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where roughly $3.4 trillion in annual global trade transits. Taiwan administers the Pratas Islands as a marine national park and coast guard outpost located more than 400 kilometers from the main island.
Regional watchers warn that the convergence of China’s maritime coercive campaign against Taiwan and the simultaneous U.S.-Japan-Philippines military buildup could compress decision-making timelines for all sides, with little room for diplomatic off-ramps.