In a display of maritime precision, thousands of Chinese fishing boats were mobilized in the East China Sea to form an enormous 460 km floating barrier. The coordinated formations, revealed through vessel-tracking data and analyzed by The New York Times, suggest training or rehearsal for a potential naval blockade scenario near Taiwan and key shipping lanes. Analysts warn this unusual “civilian” fleet activity could be part of China’s broader grey-zone strategy, using fishing vessels as a maritime militia to obstruct sea lanes, strain surveillance, and test responses from regional powers.