Taiwan says drives away 16 Chinese ships involved in ‘maritime harassment’

Taiwan said yesterday it had driven away 16 Chinese coast guard, research and fishing vessels involved in simultaneous “maritime harassment” operations.

An “unusually large” number of Chinese vessels took part in the coordinated operations around Taiwan proper and Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Taiwanese coast guard said in a statement.

The Chinese vessels, including four fishing boats, carried out “simultaneous operations at multiple locations and engaged in hybrid warfare,” the statement said.

A Coast Guard Administration (CGA) member monitors China Coast Guard ships near the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands) in the South China Sea yesterday.

Photo courtesy of the CGA

The locations were off Taiwan’s eastern, southern and southwestern coastlines, and around Pratas. Some of the Chinese vessels entered Taiwan’s restricted waters.

China has intensified its maritime pressure on Taiwan in recent months, deploying record numbers of coast guard, research and other vessels around the island.

Yesterday’s operation comes after Taiwan’s coast guard used a water cannon against a Chinese recreational fishing vessel near Pratas, in the northern part of the South China Sea, on October 1.

Taiwan’s coast guard said its vessels took “forceful action immediately to effectively neutralise the threats.”

“China is attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and create the false impression of jurisdiction,” the statement said. “Such actions will only lead to resentment among the people of Taiwan, and the Coast Guard Administration condemns them in the strongest terms.”

China began conducting law enforcement patrols in waters to the east of Taiwan in June, which Taipei branded as “provocative” and “expansionism in disguise.”

Beijing has since dialled up pressure, deploying a record 244 coast guard, scientific research and other ships around Taiwan’s main island in July, Taiwanese official data show.

That compares with 55 ships detected in June and 30 in May, and 58 in July last year. In the first 21 days of August, 152 vessels were detected.

About 60 percent are coast guard ships, with research vessels and other government boats making up the rest.

The figures do not include Chinese warships, which China’s military deploys around Taiwan on a near-daily basis.