CMSI Note 22: Testing Boundaries: The Lan Hai 201 Mission East of Taiwan

China Maritime Studies Institute – From 17-23 July, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) deployed a 3,000-ton fisheries research ship, the Lan Hai 201, to waters east of Taiwan. China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, which owns the vessel, declared that the cruise was intended to “comprehensively understand the state of fisheries resources in China’s jurisdictional space.” During its cruise, the Lan Hai 201 engaged in survey activities in the EEZs of Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, in clear violation of their sovereign rights to regulate fisheries resources under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.