China warns Taiwan of consequences over water cannon incident — Channel NewsAsia

China said Taiwan must «bear all consequences» after a water cannon was used against a Chinese fishing vessel near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands in the South China Sea. Channel NewsAsia reports.

Incident near Pratas

According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard, its vessel used a water cannon this month because a Chinese fishing vessel did not respond to warnings to leave restricted waters near the Pratas Islands. The Taiwan Coast Guard vessel later suffered an engine malfunction, and the Chinese vessel nearby towed it.

A spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, Chen Binhua, said China has «indisputable sovereignty» over Pratas and the adjacent waters. He also claimed that the activities of mainland Chinese vessels in the area are lawful and justified. The Chinese official did not specify what consequences Beijing meant.

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Taiwan’s position

A Taiwan official familiar with the situation around Pratas told Reuters that the coast guard had carried out routine law enforcement during the incident and acted very carefully and proportionately.

The Pratas Islands are located roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, more than 400 km from Taiwan. They are a national park, have an airstrip and no permanent civilian population. Their day-to-day security is provided by Taiwan’s coast guard rather than the military.

Taiwan says China is expanding so-called grey-zone activities — actions that fall short of open military conflict. Taiwan National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lee Wen said China is involving a broader range of vessels in such activities, including militia and research vessels.