Brief
Taiwan Coast Guard drives away 16 Chinese vessels in coordinated maritime operation
The Taiwanese coast guard said it neutralised threats from 16 Chinese vessels near the main island and the disputed Pratas archipelago.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Taiwan's coast guard reported that it confronted and drove away 16 Chinese coastguard, research and fishing vessels that it said were conducting simultaneous "maritime harassment" operations around the main island and the Pratas (Dongsha) islands, according to a statement released on Sunday.
The statement described the Chinese presence as "unusually large" and said the Taiwanese vessels took "forceful action immediately to effectively neutralise the threats," accusing Beijing of trying to "unilaterally alter the status quo" in the Taiwan Strait.
Four of the Chinese vessels were identified as fishing boats, and some reportedly entered Taiwan's restricted waters. The incident follows a record deployment of 244 Chinese ships around Taiwan in July and 152 vessels detected in the first half of August, according to Taiwanese official data.
Key facts
- Taiwan's coast guard drove away 16 Chinese vessels in a coordinated operation. (aljazeera.com)
- The Chinese vessels included coastguard, research and four fishing boats. (aljazeera.com)
- Taiwan accused Beijing of attempting to alter the status quo in the Taiwan Strait. (aljazeera.com)
- China deployed a record 244 ships around Taiwan in July, up from 58 the previous year. (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “‘Hybrid warfare’: Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese ships”
