US financial/geopolitical

Bloomberg connected the eastern-Pacific operation to Japan-Philippines EEZ talks, framing it as China using maritime enforcement to establish a precedent of jurisdiction before a boundary delimitation that might reduce Beijing's claimed maritime space. Sources in the US government described it as 'precisely the kind of salami-slicing we've been warning about.'

“US officials privately described China's eastern-Taiwan maritime operation as 'precisely the kind of salami-slicing we've been warning about,' linked to Japan-Philippines EEZ talks.”