"During July and August at least 12 oil and gas vessels and permanent structures were detected inside Taiwan's EEZ including one within 50km of the restricted-waters border of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands as well as several steel supports for fixed offshore drilling platforms, called jackets. Their presence inside Taiwan's EEZ have not been previously reported. Experts said the activity fit the pattern of Beijing's greyzone strategies for seizing disputed territory."
"China's greyzone aggression routinely leverages commercial activity for expansionist goals, said Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project at Stanford University. The presence of Chinese vessels and structures in the EEZ was first identified in research published on Tuesday by US thinktank the Jamestown Foundation, which said they were owned by the state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). However, there is no sign of the Taiwan government having responded to it, despite frequently enforcing its EEZ elsewhere."
During July and August at least 12 oil and gas vessels and permanent structures were detected inside Taiwan's exclusive economic zone, including one within 50 km of the restricted-waters border of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands. Several steel supports for fixed offshore drilling platforms, called jackets, were observed. The assets were identified as owned by the state-run China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) and include a vessel over 240 m long and two of Asia's largest wellhead platforms. The activity aligns with greyzone strategies that leverage commercial operations for territorial expansion. Taiwan has not publicly responded, raising concerns about normalization of encroachment.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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