TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – For the third time this month, Chinese coast guard ships entered restricted waters off the outlying island of Kinmen, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Friday (July 19).

Around 2 p.m., the coast guard noticed four Chinese ships approaching restricted waters south of Kinmen, per CNA. As they entered the restricted area from four different points an hour later, the CGA sent four of its vessels to counter the incursions.

After the CGA broadcast warnings and collected evidence, the Chinese ships left the area at 5 p.m. While this was the third incident since the start of July, China’s coast guard has sent ships into restricted waters close to Taiwan’s outlying islands a total of 32 times this year.

The CGA called on China to value the importance of regional peace and stability. The Chinese coast guard’s actions were not contributing to cross-strait exchanges, the CGA said.