Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese vessels — Al Jazeera

Taiwan’s coast guard reported driving away 16 Chinese vessels that were operating simultaneously near Taiwan’s main island and Pratas Island, also known as Dongsha. The vessels included Chinese coast guard ships, research vessels and fishing boats.

As Al Jazeera reports, the Taiwanese side described the number of Chinese vessels involved in the coordinated operations as “unusually large”. According to Taiwan’s coast guard, four fishing vessels took part in simultaneous actions that it characterized as “hybrid warfare”.

Coast guard statement

Taiwan’s coast guard said it immediately took “decisive action” to neutralize the threats. The agency accused Beijing of attempting to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and create a “false impression of jurisdiction” over these waters. Some of the Chinese vessels reportedly entered Taiwan’s restricted waters.

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China’s increased presence

Beijing claims Taiwan and Pratas, as well as jurisdiction over adjacent waters, which Taipei rejects. On October 1, Taiwan’s coast guard used water cannons against a Chinese recreational fishing vessel near Pratas.

According to official Taiwanese data, a record 244 Chinese coast guard, research and other vessels were recorded around the main island in July, compared with 58 in the same month of the previous year. During the first 21 days of August, another 152 vessels, mostly from the Chinese coast guard, were detected there. Chinese military ships operating near Taiwan almost daily are counted separately in these statistics.