Taiwan's coast guard drives off 16 Chinese vessels near its islands
Taiwan sent patrol boats to shadow Chinese vessels that entered restricted waters near its Pratas Islands, and on Sunday said the 16 ships had been forced to leave. Taipei calls the activity harassment at sea.
By Standard Topic. AI-generated from the reporting listed under Coverage. Published . Updated .
This story is no longer being updated. It reflects reporting up to .
What happened
Taiwan said on Sunday it had pushed away 16 Chinese coast guard, research and fishing vessels operating near its main island and Pratas Island. Taipei says Beijing is increasing its activity around the island in an effort to change the existing situation. Experts say the mainland increasingly relies on civilian vessels to assert authority over nearby waters.
Why it matters
Taipei argues the activity aims to change the existing situation, while experts say civilian boats are being used to widen Beijing's jurisdictional claims.
Timeline
- Oct 18, 7:57 AM ET: Taiwan said it had driven away 16 Chinese coast guard, research and fishing vessels.
- Oct 18, 12:25 PM ET: Taipei described China's growing presence around Taiwan as a deliberate pattern meant to shift the balance.
- Oct 19, 8:00 AM ET: Experts said the mainland is increasingly using civilian vessels to expand its jurisdiction claims around Taiwan.
Coverage
- Taiwan coastguard wards off 16 mainland ships as Beijing turns up the pressure (South China Morning Post)
- Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese vessels (ua.news)
- ‘Hybrid warfare’: Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese ships (Al Jazeera)
- Taiwan says drives away 16 Chinese ships involved in ‘maritime harassment’ (Al Arabiya)
- Chinese coast guard ships enter restricted waters near Pratas Islands (ua.news)
More from World
- Iran attacks on Hormuz shipping cut traffic and lift oil prices
- Rubio visits India to discuss trade and Venezuelan crude
- Second possible Chinese drone mothership spotted near Guangzhou
- China's clean energy exports rise as Iran war boosts demand
- US sanctions five Chinese firms over AI trade secrets theft
- Modi marks Dussehra in Delhi, urging India to defeat enemies