Taiwan has announced a new standoff with China over strategic islands
For the second day in a row, a tense standoff has been ongoing between the Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards near the strategically important Pratas Islands in the South China Sea.
This is reported by Reuters.
According to Taiwanese officials, a Chinese coast guard vessel approached the Pratas Islands the day before, prompting Taipei to dispatch its own vessel as a warning.
During the incident, a verbal dispute broke out between the parties via radio communication over sovereignty of the islands. The Chinese vessel stated that it was carrying out a routine mission and that Beijing has jurisdiction over the territory.
In response, the Taiwanese side urged the Chinese crew not to escalate the situation.
According to Taiwan, the Chinese vessel was located approximately 39 kilometers northeast of the islands. Taipei noted that such claims by Beijing regarding sovereignty in this area, as well as the prolonged presence of a Chinese ship so close to the islands, are unusual.
Some analysts consider the Pratas Islands to be one of the potentially vulnerable areas in the event of an escalation by China.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio believes that China would like to establish control over Taiwan without the use of force.
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that he does not support an official declaration of Taiwan’s independence and advocates for reducing tensions in relations with China.
