Taiwan has vowed to expel any Chinese vessels attempting to assert jurisdiction in waters near the island, after China concluded a maritime patrol operation off Taiwan’s eastern coast that Taipei described as an infringement on its sovereignty.
Taiwan’s coast guard said on Thursday it would not tolerate what it called Chinese efforts to create a false impression of having authority over waters east of the island.
“Our nation’s maritime sovereignty cannot be violated,” the coast guard said in a statement. “Any country that asserts jurisdiction will be expelled without exception.”
The warning followed the end of a Chinese maritime operation launched after Japan and the Philippines announced plans last month to begin formal talks on maritime boundaries. Beijing viewed the discussions as involving waters off Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.
Chinese state media reported on Saturday that vessels had been deployed to conduct a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation” and inspect shipping routes east of Taiwan.
On Wednesday, Chinese state media said the operation had concluded after authorities “inspected 198 passing vessels and rectified violations involving three ships”, conducted hydrographic surveys and patrolled areas containing undersea communication cables.
Taiwan rejected China’s claims of authority in the area, insisting Beijing has no legal jurisdiction over those waters.
Taiwan Coast Guard spokesman Hsieh Ching-chin said Chinese vessels had questioned merchant ships passing through the area and sought details about their origins and destinations.
Taiwan earlier said three commercial vessels were “harassed” by the Chinese coast guard during the operation.
“China has no sovereign rights whatsoever in the waters east of Taiwan,” Hsieh told reporters.
“Our Coast Guard Administration will, regardless of nationality, expel without exception any vessel involved in asserting jurisdiction, in order to defend our sovereignty,” he added.
Separately, Taiwan’s coast guard reported that two Chinese government vessels entered restricted waters near Itu Aba in the South China Sea on Thursday, approaching within 2.1 nautical miles of the Taiwan-controlled island.
According to Taiwan, the vessels remained in the area for about 15 minutes before departing after receiving warnings from coast guard ships.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels operate around Taiwan almost daily as Beijing continues to reject Taipei’s claims of self-rule. Taiwan’s government maintains that only the island’s people can determine its future.
President Lai Ching-te has repeatedly offered talks with Beijing, but Chinese authorities have rejected those overtures and described him as a “separatist”.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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