TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Coast Guard on Thursday warned a Chinese research vessel to leave Taiwan’s restricted waters off Yilan County after it came too close to the coast, CNA reported.
The Coast Guard said the Chinese ship Xiang Yang Hong 22 entered waters off Su’ao at 11:35 p.m. Thursday. The area is between 12 and 24 nautical miles from Taiwan’s coast.
Taiwan sent two patrol vessels to follow the Chinese ship and order it to leave. Coast Guard video showed the patrol vessel Lanyu warning the ship by radio and saying the waters off Taiwan’s east coast are not under China’s jurisdiction.
The two Taiwanese vessels sailed beside the Chinese ship and used their wakes to stop it from carrying out operations. The Chinese vessel left Taiwan’s restricted waters at 4:20 a.m. Friday and later moved beyond the Lanyu’s radar range.
The Coast Guard said it first detected the Chinese ship at 8 p.m. Thursday, about 41 nautical miles east of Hualien. It warned the ship to leave Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone before the vessel later entered restricted waters off Suao.
The Coast Guard said Taiwan has rights over its eastern exclusive economic zone, including rights related to marine research. It said Chinese ships cannot change that fact by sailing or conducting research there.
The Coast Guard said Xiang Yang Hong 22 had been sailing off Taiwan’s east and south coasts for more than a week. It said the ship left Zhoushan in China’s Zhejiang Province on June 10 and later moved near waters between Yonaguni Island and eastern Taiwan.
The Coast Guard said it would continue monitoring the vessel.
