TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has deployed oil rigs within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone near Dongsha Island, according to a Jamestown Foundation report published on Tuesday.
Beijing has placed 12 permanent or semi-permanent oil rigs along with three storage vessels and two semi-submersible oil platforms, the report said. The equipment is the property of state-owned China National Offshore Oil Corporation and has been present since at least May 2020.
On July 15, 2024, the Nan Hai No. 6 oil rig came within 770 meters of Dongsha’s restricted waters. In July this year, the semi-submersible rig Nan Hai No. 2 ventured deep into Taiwan’s claimed EEZ and is now approximately 48 kilometers from Dongsha’s restricted waters.
The use of oil rigs is part of China’s “maritime gray zone operations,” the report said. It warned that these structures could be used for military action or a blockade against Dongsha Island or Taiwan in general.
Though there are no signs they have been repurposed yet, the rigs could accommodate advanced navigation radars and acoustic sensors, as well as small-caliber guns, per the report. They could also fit attack helicopters or be outfitted with “point-defense surface-to-air missiles and cruise-missile launchers.”
China has also attempted to deploy infrastructure within Japan and Vietnam’s claimed EEZ multiple times, but both countries have so far successfully protested their removal.
The report urged Taiwan to follow suit. “Countering the PRC’s employment of dual-use infrastructure to undermine sovereignty is both possible and essential.”
Though Beijing will not stop its gray zone tactics, being vocal “could slow or halt PRC progress and pushiness short of a dangerous tipping point.” Continuous transparent monitoring of Chinese oil structures and vessels is necessary to ensure Taiwan has full maritime domain awareness and can “avoid further faits accomplis,” the report said.
The development comes as the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration intercepted Chinese coast guard ships near Dongsha Island in June and July. Taiwanese marines and coast guard personnel are stationed on the island, equipped with mortars, anti-air autocannons, dual mount Stinger systems, and Kestrel anti-armor rockets.
