Taipei: Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) announced on Thursday that it had expelled a Chinese vessel suspected of conducting underwater surveying operations from restricted and prohibited waters near Taiwan's outlying Kinmen County. The incident occurred the previous day, highlighting ongoing tensions in the region.
According to Focus Taiwan, the CGA dispatched two vessels after radar systems detected the Chinese research boat "Yanping No. 2" entering "restricted waters" 2.6 nautical miles northwest of Kinmen County's Dongding Island at 1:01 p.m. The island is the southernmost in the county. The Chinese vessel subsequently entered "prohibited waters" at 1:10 p.m., as per a graphic released by the CGA.
The coast guard noted that by around 3 p.m., personnel on patrol vessels observed the Chinese vessel deploying detector equipment into the water. This led them to suspect that the boat was conducting underwater surveying operations. In response to the CGA's demand, the Chinese vessel cooperated by retrieving its equipment.
The CGA reported that two 35-ton patrol boats, identified by their serial numbers PP-3552 and PP-3520, expelled the Chinese ship from "prohibited waters" at 3:20 p.m. and from "restricted waters" at 3:52 p.m. The CGA suggested that the Chinese vessel might have had "strategic intentions," referencing China's frequent declarations of its intention to annex Taiwan, potentially by military means.
The CGA's news release stated, "Under the pretense of scientific research, [Chinese vessels] actually carry out operations to familiarize themselves with the battlefield environment, in order to serve as a reference for future military action." The administration strongly condemned China's actions, asserting that they intruded into Taiwan's waters with scientific research vessels and survey ships.
Further, the CGA emphasized its commitment to monitoring the movements of Chinese government vessels and pledged to "forcefully drive them away" if needed to "defend national sovereignty and ensure our country's maritime rights and interests." Under Article 32 of the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, Taiwanese authorities are authorized to take defensive actions, including driving away or seizing vessels and cargoes, detaining crew, or taking any necessary measures against Chinese vessels that enter restricted or prohibited waters without permission.