China has been using thousands of fishing boats as a kind of floating “Great Wall” to block strategic stretches of the South China Sea, bring its maritime borders closer to those of Japan and Taiwan, and test the reaction of the United States in a war that, for now, remains silent.
Instead of missiles or cannon fire, the strategy relies on coordination, mass, and ambiguity: At least 1.400 fishing boats were mobilized in January to form a barrier of about 300 kilometers.And another operation, at Christmas 2025, brought together more than 2.000 vessels in a similar formation, creating real obstacles for merchant ships, without a single shot being fired.
Like the “great wall“Fishing boats work in practice”
Behind the satellite images that show dense lines of fishing boats Aligned at sea, there is a clear logic to the blockade.
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On January 11th, Approximately 1.400 vessels abandoned their normal fishing routines to position themselves at an intermediate point between China and Japan., forming a continuous strip approximately 300 kilometers long.
This wall of fishing boats It was so compact that transport ships crossing the region were forced to deviate from their routes or perform careful maneuvers to traverse the corridor.
In practice, it was a mobile artificial reef, erected in a few hours, capable of limiting the flow in an entire area., without the use of buoys, mines or fixed physical barriers.
Coordinated lockdowns: from January to Christmas 2025
The January incident was not an isolated case. By Christmas 2025, more than 2.000 Chinese fishing boats repeated the maneuver., this time forming an inverted “L” shape. The longer leg of the formation, once again, was between China and Japan.
The shorter leg was positioned to create a symbolic separation between Taiwan and the main ports of mainland China.
Analysts consulted by international media outlets indicate that they had already observed unusual movements of fishing boats In previous situations, but on a much smaller scale, involving a few hundred vessels.
What stands out in the December and January operations is the combination of scale, speed of mobilization, and precision of positioning., something that can hardly be explained as mere coincidence in the fishing industry.
What is China seeking by using fishing boats as a wall?
These formations are not merely curious choreographies. They are part of a broader context of territorial dispute.
China claims areas as its “historical territory” that Japan and Taiwan consider their own., including islands and reefs in areas rich in fishing, hydrocarbons, and even rare earth elements.
Over the years, the country has employed various instruments to reinforce this position:
sending warships to contested areas
construction of artificial islands on remote reefs
constant patrols on routes used by neighbors and allies of the United States
The “great wall” of fishing boats It adds a new layer to this strategy. By deploying a large number of civilian vessels, China is able to project its presence, hinder the use of maritime corridors, and test the tolerance limits of other countries….all this without immediately triggering the same responses that a military fleet would provoke.
Maritime militia: when fishing boats become a tool of pressure
The coordinated employment of thousands of fishing boats It is often described as the actions of a “maritime militia,” that is, a hybrid force operating on the border between civilian and military spheres.
These boats remain registered and equipped as fishing vessels, but operate in formations with clearly strategic objectives.
From an operational standpoint, this fishing militia fulfills two central roles:
Blocking or hindering navigation routes in sensitive areas, forcing ships to reduce speed or change course
to serve as a point of contact in crisis situationsThis makes any forceful action against them politically much more risky, since they are civilian vessels.
Thus, in a hypothetical more acute crisis, China could deploy hundreds of fishing boats to effectively obstruct the movement and resupply of enemy warships., using the fact that they are civilians as a kind of political shield.
Bait for radars and missiles in a crowded sea.
There is also a technological dimension that is not very visible in the images, but which has been highlighted by military analysts. Masses of small fishing boats can act as “noise” on radars and sensors., filling screens with hundreds of simultaneous targets.
Former officers point out that, in a real confrontation scenario, this cloud of fishing boats This could serve as bait for missiles and torpedoes guided by radar or heat signatures, increasing the difficulty of quickly identifying which contacts are warships and which are smaller vessels.
The denser the environment, the more complex combat decision-making becomes., especially if there is concern about avoiding harm to civilians.
This ambiguity is one of the strategy’s main strengths. Attacking the fishing boats would mean targeting civilian targets. Ignoring them, on the other hand, could mean operating under less favorable tactical conditions, with limited visibility and congested routes.
Military exercises, J 16, F 16 and the escalation around Taiwan
The formations of fishing boats They don’t happen in a vacuum. The latest major maneuver occurred days after Chinese military exercises around Taiwan with the explicit objective of simulating a blockade of the island.
During the same period, reports indicate that J-16 fighter jets from the People’s Liberation Army approached Taiwanese F-16s dangerously close, even launching flares during interception attempts.
There was also a significant new development: A Chinese military drone entered Taiwanese airspace for the first time., crossing a line that had not been crossed until then.
Meanwhile, accusations emerged that China was conducting nuclear tests, while the United States called for restraint but reinforced its presence in the region.
In this context, great wall of fishing boats It functions as an additional piece on a chessboard already cluttered with air, naval, and missile exercises, broadening the range of tools used to exert pressure without necessarily initiating open conflict.
The strength of a blockade that doesn’t fire a single shot.
Ultimately, the main characteristic that makes this strategy so sensitive is its hybrid nature. The maneuvers involving thousands of fishing boats remain on the borderline between economic activity and a geopolitical pressure tactic.which complicates any direct answer.
For Japan, Taiwan, and the United States, the message is clear: A single political decision is all it takes for crucial maritime routes to be occupied by a mass of civilian vessels, creating delays, diversions, and increased operational risk..
For China, this is a way to demonstrate the ability to control and coordinate on a large scale, without automatically crossing the line into a conventional military attack.
Faced with a “great wall” made of fishing boats blocking strategic routes without a single shot being fired, do you think this tactic should already be considered a form of military aggression, or is it still within what the geopolitical game considers acceptable in peacetime?