TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Coast Guard Administration sent the patrol ship Taipei to track two Chinese coast guard vessels operating east of Taitung’s Lanyu island, reports said Friday.
At 8 a.m. Friday, China’s Xiushan was located 280 kilometers east of Lanyu, while the Chongming was found 80 km northeast of the island, per Liberty Times. The Chinese coast guard claimed the ships were on a legal and routine law enforcement mission.
Taiwan’s administration rejected the claims, condemning the Chinese actions as “fake law enforcement, real expansion of power.” Taiwan’s Coast Guard will continue to defend the nation’s sovereignty and to safeguard the security of its waters, the administration said.
Chinese coast guard ships have repeatedly intruded into restricted Taiwanese waters in several areas, including near the island of Kinmen and near Dongsha in the South China Sea.
