Taiwan will not tolerate Chinese efforts to create a false impression of having jurisdiction over its waters, the island’s coast guard said, vowing to “expel” any challengers after China ended a patrol off its eastern shores.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, was angered after Japan and the Philippines said last month they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, viewing that as involving waters off Taiwan.
Late on Saturday, Chinese state media reported that ships had been sent to carry out a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation” and inspect shipping in waters east of Taiwan in response to the Japanese and Philippine announcement.
Late on Wednesday, Chinese state media said the patrol had ended, after it had “inspected 198 passing vessels and rectified violations involving three ships,” carried out a hydrographic survey, and patrolled areas where undersea cables are located.
Taiwan’s coast guard said Beijing has no jurisdiction in those waters and that whenever Chinese ships appear, Taiwan’s own vessels will “forcefully drive them away, and maintain the freedom and safety of navigation.”
Merchant ships ‘harassed’ by China
“Our nation’s maritime sovereignty cannot be violated,” Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement. “Any country that asserts jurisdiction will be expelled without exception.”
Chinese state media put out a picture of a basic map of its ships’ operations, showing arrows encircling Taiwan.
Taiwan said this week that three passing merchant ships in the area were “harassed” by the Chinese coast guard, which asked them for information about their point of origin and destination and claimed jurisdiction.
Taiwan Coast Guard spokesman Hsieh Ching-chin told reporters on Thursday that some of those ships did respond to the Chinese vessels with information like their next port of call.
China “has no sovereign rights whatsoever in the waters east of Taiwan,” Hsieh said.
“Our Coast Guard Administration will, regardless of nationality, expel without exception any vessel involved in asserting jurisdiction, in order to defend our sovereignty,” he said.
Separately, Taiwan’s coast guard said two Chinese government ships had intruded on Thursday for 15 minutes into restricted waters near Itu Aba deep in the South China Sea, getting as close as 2.1 nautical miles to the Taiwan-controlled island.
The ships left after being warned and challenged by Taiwan Coast Guard vessels, it said in a statement.
China does not recognize Taiwan sovereignty
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Chinese forces have previously generally left Itu Aba alone.
China recognizes no sovereignty claimed by Taiwan, and Chinese warships and warplanes operate around the island on an almost daily basis.
Taiwan’s government says only the island’s people can decide their future, and President Lai Ching-te has repeatedly offered talks with China. Beijing has rebuffed Lai, saying he is a “separatist.”
