How China Is ‘Salami-Slicing’ Its Way To Greater Control In The Pacific

Last Updated:June 26, 2026, 15:19 IST

Beijing’s latest moves near Taiwan and the Philippines show how its ‘salami-slicing’ strategy seeks to expand control without triggering outright conflict.

In recent weeks, Chinese vessels have conducted what Beijing describes as law-enforcement operations east of Taiwan, mapped the seabed in strategically sensitive waters and carried out research inside the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal, a disputed feature located hundreds of miles from China.

Taken together, the moves suggest that Beijing is trying to extend its authority across some of the most contested waters in the western Pacific, raising concern in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Analysts say the operations are part of a broader attempt to turn contested territorial claims into actual control without triggering an outright military conflict.

China has long been accused of using “salami-slicing" tactics — taking small steps below the threshold of war to assert control over areas where its claims under international law are disputed or have no clear legal basis.

What Has China Done East Of Taiwan?

Earlier this month, three vessels operated by China’s Maritime Safety Administration, or MSA, sailed through the Bashi Channel between Taiwan and the Philippines.

The civilian law-enforcement vessels then began conducting enforcement and mapping activities in waters east of Taiwan.

Observers say it was the first time MSA ships had been seen operating east of the First Island Chain, a strategic arc stretching from southern Japan through Taiwan and the Philippines and towards Borneo and Singapore.

The island chain is viewed by Beijing and Washington as a critical line of control in the western Pacific.

Ray Powell, director of the SeaLight project at Stanford University’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, described the development as the “Bashi Breakout".

Beijing “is essentially saying we have jurisdiction over this area on the other side of the First Island Chain. That’s pretty significant," Powell told CNN.

“This is the first time we’ve seen them make some kind of a sovereignty patrol outside of the 9-Dash/10-Dash Line," he added.

China uses the dash-line map to assert claims over large parts of the South China Sea. These claims are disputed by several neighbouring countries, and an international tribunal in The Hague ruled in 2016 that Beijing’s sweeping claim had no legal basis.

Powell said China was now trying to “create new facts on the water".

China’s state-run Global Times described the movement of the MSA vessels as “a sovereignty declaration with both legal significance and political signalling".

Why Is Taiwan The Main Target?

The operation appears to have been directed largely at Taiwan, the self-governed island that China claims as its own territory. Beijing has vowed to achieve “reunification" with Taiwan and has not ruled out the use of force.

Through Yuyuan Tantian, a semi-official social media account operated by China’s national broadcaster, Beijing said the MSA ships had mapped the seabed east of Taiwan for the first time.

The account said the mission countered foreign assertions that China lacked the ability to exercise authority in those waters. “The waters east of Taiwan Island will constitute our ‘nearshore waters’ — the very waters where we maintain a presence and exercise jurisdiction and governance," it said.

Experts said that if an official Chinese government agency formally adopted the “nearshore waters" designation, Beijing could seek to treat the area as sovereign territory where foreign vessels require permission to enter.

Carl Schuster, a former director of the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, said foreign vessels would then be considered to have no automatic right of access.

“Foreign vessels have no right of entry without permission of the nation with sovereignty over these near-shore waters," Schuster told CNN.

Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te said Beijing’s purpose was clear. “Their real objective is to expand," he said.

“China’s threats towards Taiwan know no limits," Lai added, accusing Beijing of repeatedly finding new ways to advance its territorial claims and pressure countries across the Indo-Pacific.

Why Use Civilian Ships Instead Of Warships?

China’s Maritime Safety Administration is not part of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. Its ships perform policing and regulatory functions, including enforcing maritime and environmental rules.

That civilian status makes the vessels less overtly threatening than warships, but analysts say it also makes them useful for gradually asserting control.

Analysts and Taiwanese officials say such patrols and radio warnings can help Beijing create the impression that it already exercises jurisdiction over the area.

During the recent operation, the Chinese ships issued radio challenges to commercial vessels travelling towards Taiwan, according to the island’s coast guard.

Powell said China’s immediate objective may be to establish its agencies as the maritime “constabulary" of the approaches to Taiwan. The next stage, he said, could involve Chinese vessels stopping commercial ships or ordering them to enter Chinese ports before continuing to Taiwan.

Powell described that possibility as the “tightening of the boa constrictor".

Taiwan is particularly vulnerable because it depends on imports for almost all its energy needs. Targeting liquefied natural gas carriers could allow Beijing to send the message that it has the ability to disrupt Taiwan’s fuel supplies.

“Something to let Taiwan know we can starve you out when it comes to LNG," Powell told CNN.

Powell said such pressure could be expanded gradually until Beijing was able to control Taiwan’s energy imports.

Why Does The Seabed Mapping Matter?

The seabed survey also has military and strategic implications.

Schuster said the information could help the Chinese navy operate submarines and naval groups more effectively in the waters east of Taiwan.

“It will improve the PLA Navy’s ability to operate its submarines and task groups in those waters," he told CNN.

The survey could also provide Beijing with a clearer picture of undersea communication cables, natural resources and seabed features that may be useful during future operations.

The waters east of Taiwan are strategically important because they connect the island to the wider Pacific and could be used by foreign powers seeking to support it during a crisis.

A stronger Chinese presence there could therefore help Beijing monitor shipping routes and complicate access to Taiwan.

What Is China Doing At Scarborough Shoal?

China is also increasing its activity around Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.

The uninhabited feature lies about 220 kilometres west of the Philippine island of Luzon and around 850 kilometres from China’s Hainan province.

It is located within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone but has been effectively controlled by China since 2012, with Beijing maintaining an almost continuous coast guard presence nearby, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The 2016 South China Sea tribunal also ruled that China could not legally occupy the shoal.

Satellite images recently showed a small floating structure close to the entrance of the shoal’s lagoon. Later images showed it being moved inside the lagoon.

China said the structure was being used for maritime research and later announced that it had been withdrawn.

Powell said that explanation may be accurate for now, but warned that China could eventually replace the temporary installation with something larger and permanent.

Philippine Defence Secretary Gilbert Teodoro told the Financial Times that China had used research activity as a pretext before. “If they … lied before, they can lie now," Teodoro said.

He pointed to Chinese-controlled islands and reefs in the South China Sea that were later transformed into military bases, despite Xi Jinping saying during a 2015 visit to Washington that China did not intend to militarise them.

About the Author

Karishma Jain

Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follo...Read More

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