A new flashpoint has opened up in the western Pacific Ocean with Beijing expected to strengthen its presence in the waters east of Taiwan
3-MIN READ3-MINLaura ZhouPublished: 2:00pm, 2 Jun 2026The waters off eastern Taiwan have become a new flashpoint after Tokyo and Manila announced formal negotiations to delimit the maritime boundary of the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and continental shelf between Japan and the Philippines.On Monday, China’s coastguard carried out enforcement patrols in the region, exercising Beijing’s claimed right to maintain its own EEZ and continental shelf rights under both domestic and international law.The Taiwanese coastguard said it shadowed and monitored two Chinese vessels spotted at around 11am on Monday about 51 to 52 nautical miles southeast of Orchid Island, which sits roughly 64km (40 miles) off the southeastern coast of the main island.
Here are four things you need to know about the boundary talks between Japan and the Philippines, along with their implications in international law and geopolitics:
Japan and the Philippines share no borders. However, as coastal countries, they are entitled to project an exclusive economic zone that extends 200 nautical miles (370km or 230 miles) from their coasts.
