Mainland Chinese research ship spotted near Taiwan’s largest naval base

A mainland Chinese research ship has sailed close to a key Taiwanese naval base, marking its second appearance near the island in recent months.

The Tong Ji, a 2,000-tonne scientific research vessel operated by Tongji University in Shanghai, was spotted 28 nautical miles (52km) southwest of Liuchiu, an island also known as Lamay, on Friday morning, according to the Taiwanese authorities.

The island sits off the southwest coast of Taiwan, close to the city of Kaohsiung and Zuoying, the island’s largest naval base and home to its naval academy.

In response, Taiwan’s coastguards said they dispatched ships to monitor its movements and broadcast warnings ordering it to leave. They said the ship had sailed away to the southeast.

On Thursday night, the ship was spotted about 25 nautical miles northwest of Hua island in the central Taiwan Strait.

A coastguard vessel was dispatched to shadow its movements and tried to force the mainland ship to change course.