TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Four Chinese coast guard vessels were turned away from waters near Taiwan’s outlying island of Kinmen on Friday.
The Taiwan Coast Guard detected the encroaching ships around 8 a.m. and deployed patrol boats to warn them away. The Coast Guard also released footage of the encounter to combat any Chinese disinformation about the incident, reported CNA.
The Chinese side posted a notice on its website that Fujian branch was conducting routine law enforcement patrol operations. Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council said this was inconsistent with facts, and China’s actions were consistent with previous instances of harassment in the region.
Chinese coast guard ships 14603, 14605, 14515, and 14529 were spotted southwest of Lieyu Island moving eastward, and entered restricted waters at approximately 8:50 a.m. They were immediately warned to leave by Taiwan Coast Guard personnel, who issued instructions in Chinese and English, per CNA.
After monitoring and broadcasts telling them to leave, the ships departed restricted waters at 10:50 a.m.
