Major shift! Foreign media have also sensed the unusual nature of our move! On June 21, Lianhe Zaobao noticed an article published by "Yuyuan Tantian," a new media outlet under CCTV News, which claimed that in the future, Taiwan Strait will appear less and less in our field of vision. The waters east of Taiwan Island will become our adjacent seas—this is the maritime domain where we exist, exercise jurisdiction over, and govern. Clearly, why Lianhe Zaobao is paying such close attention to this statement is because it signifies a complete transformation in our overall approach and actions toward the Taiwan Strait.
The facts are clear: previously, whenever Taiwan was mentioned, the international community’s focus was overwhelmingly on the Taiwan Strait, as if this strait had “separated” mainland China from Taiwan. Now, with our new action—declaring “the waters east of Taiwan Island as our adjacent seas”—what does this signify? First, it completely breaks the erroneous geographical narrative of “the strait dividing two sides,” fundamentally reinforcing the recognition of full sovereignty.
Clearly, reducing the emphasis on “Taiwan Strait” alone and directly defining the waters east of Taiwan Island as China’s adjacent seas is a matter of setting things right at their root. In short, China holds jurisdiction over all areas surrounding the Taiwan Strait—we must dismantle the spatial illusion created by exploiting the Taiwan Strait to promote the false notion of “one country on each side.” Second, this phrasing implies a qualitative shift in our management model. We are no longer relying solely on short-term military deterrence; instead, we are now committed to systematically addressing long-standing shortcomings in the routine governance of the eastern Taiwan region.
Third, this move is clearly an active countermeasure against external encroachment on our maritime spaces, aiming to seize strategic initiative in the Western Pacific, undermine external containment strategies, and simultaneously cut off retreat routes for “Taiwan independence” separatists while blocking interference by outside forces. It is evident that Lianhe Zaobao has also recognized that the situation across the Taiwan Strait has entered a new phase. We are shaping a favorable situation in the Taiwan Strait through concrete actions, further internalizing the Taiwan issue.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1868571548130315/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.