Taiwan says four Chinese ships entered 'prohibited' waters

Taiwan says four Chinese ships entered ‘prohibited’ waters

/ 01:52 PM May 07, 2024

Taiwan says four Chinese ships entered 'prohibited' waters

People gather on a beach to watch the sun rise over Taiwan’s Kinmen Island in the distance. Agence France-Presse

TAIPEI — Four Chinese coastguard ships briefly sailed through Taiwan’s “prohibited” waters, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that “endanger” navigation safety.

China claims self-ruled democratic Taiwan as part of its territory, and has said it will not rule out using force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.

Article continues after this advertisement

The Chinese ships entered waters south of Taiwan’s outlying island of Kinmen, five kilometers (three miles) from the Chinese city of Xiamen, around 3:30 pm (0730 GMT) on Monday, Taiwan’s coastguard said in a statement later the same day.

FEATURED STORIES

READ: 4 Chinese warships spotted in Sibutu, only ‘innocent passage’–AFP

The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety”.

Article continues after this advertisement

China has in recent years ramped up sorties of aircraft and naval vessels around the island.

Article continues after this advertisement

Monday’s incident comes two weeks before the May 20 inauguration of Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te.

Article continues after this advertisement

Like outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen, Lai rejects China’s claim on Taiwan.

READ: Taiwan says 5 China coast guard ships entered waters around Kinmen

Article continues after this advertisement

Beijing considers Lai, who is currently vice president, a “dangerous separatist” who will lead Taiwan down a path of “war and decline”.

Beijing had also vowed to step up patrols around Kinmen, which is administered by Taipei, after a series of deadly fishing accidents earlier this year.

A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized near Kinmen on February 14 while Taiwan’s coastguard was pursuing it, leaving two dead.

Another Chinese boat capsized in the area in March, also resulting in the death of two crew members.

Taiwan’s coastguard had defended its actions, saying the boat was within “prohibited waters” and was zigzagging before it capsized, but Beijing accused Taipei of “hiding the truth” about the incident.

Defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang told reporters Tuesday that Taiwan would boost support to the coastguard in the form of surveillance and reconnaissance of Chinese ships entering the island’s restricted waters.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

When asked if the presence of Chinese ships would disrupt the shipping of supplies to Taiwan’s offshore islands, he said “overall we are very well prepared and have full confidence in ensuring regional security”.

TAGS: China, Taiwan

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

© Copyright 1997-2024 INQUIRER.net | All Rights Reserved

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.