TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – China likely sent a coast guard ship into restricted waters near Dongsha to test Taiwan’s reaction capabilities, the Coast Guard Administration said Thursday.
Dongsha is a disputed coral island in the South China Sea administered as part of Kaohsiung City. The Chinese ship was located near the island at 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, with its course likely to take it into restricted waters, per CNA.
The Coast Guard dispatched the Kaohsiung patrol ship to track the Chinese vessel and force it to leave the area. As predicted, the Chinese ship entered the restricted area at 9:40 a.m.
The Kaohsiung broadcast warnings in Mandarin and English, telling the Chinese they were affecting maritime order in the area. The ship left the restricted area 66.5 kilometers east of Dongsha Thursday at 10.55 a.m.
Since the beginning of the year, three Chinese coast guard vessels have entered restricted waters near the island on four occasions. The Chinese ships also switched off their automatic identification systems before approaching the area in order to catch the Taiwanese ships off guard, the report said.
