Taiwan says it drives away 16 Chinese vessels over ‘maritime harassment’
Taiwan’s coast guard said the vessels took part in coordinated operations around the main island and Pratas, a disputed island in the South China Sea.
Taiwan's coast guard has repelled 16 Chinese vessels engaged in simultaneous maritime harassment operations, the island's coast guard announced on Sunday. The Taiwanese coast guard detailed that these incidents occurred around Taiwan's main island and Pratas, a disputed island located southwest of Taiwan. Beijing asserts Taiwan as part of its territory and has threatened to employ force to annex the island.
This latest operation by Taiwan follows an incident on October 1, when Taiwanese coast guard deployed water cannons against a Chinese recreational fishing vessel near Pratas, eliciting a strong reaction from China. Pratas, also known as Dongsha, is controlled by Taiwan, but Beijing also claims sovereignty over the island along with most of the strategically significant South China Sea waterway.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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