Coast guard tracks PRC vessel after radio spat

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it continued monitoring China Coast Guard vessels operating off Taiwan’s east coast after the two sides clashed over radio broadcasts and competing territorial claims.

The confrontation occurred on Thursday, when the CGA vessel Hualien detected China Coast Guard ship 2503 at about 3pm, 40 nautical miles (74km) southeast of Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), 14 nautical miles outside Taiwan’s restricted waters.

The Chinese vessel broadcast that it was conducting a law enforcement patrol east of Taiwan, claiming that Taiwan was part of China, and that the People’s Republic of China was the sole legitimate government representing China.

The Coast Guard Administration cutter Hualien is pictured in an undated photograph

Photo copied by Chiu Chun-fu, Taipei Times

The Taiwanese vessel rejected those claims over the radio, broadcasting that the Republic of China (Taiwan) was a sovereign and independent country, and that Taiwan and China were not subordinate to each other.

It told the Chinese vessel that the waters were within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone, where China had no jurisdiction, and demanded that it leave the area.

As of 8am yesterday, Chinese Coast Guard ship 2503 had moved away from the area and was about 67 nautical miles southeast of the Port of Hualien, the agency said.

The CGA said it would continue to monitor Chinese vessels and maintain patrols to safeguard Taiwanese maritime rights and interests.

It added that China’s actions undermined freedom of navigation and regional peace and stability, and violated the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.