Taiwan Coast Guard Deters Chinese Vessels Near Kinmen

Taiwan's Coast Guard reported that four Chinese coast guard vessels entered the waters near Kinmen, which are under Taiwan's jurisdiction, on Tuesday afternoon. Taiwanese patrol boats were immediately dispatched and maintained a "1-on-1" parallel formation to closely monitor and escort the Chinese vessels. The Chinese ships, identified by hull numbers 14602, 14531, 14606, and 14530, approached the Kinmen area in two groups from the southwest of Liaoluo and south of Shaxi Fort around 2 p.m. Taiwanese patrol vessels engaged the Chinese coast guard ships, maintaining close surveillance and collecting evidence. They used radio broadcasts in both Mandarin and English to demand the Chinese vessels change course and leave the area. Under pressure from the Taiwanese Coast Guard, all four Chinese vessels exited the restricted waters around 5 p.m. The Coast Guard Administration's Kinma-Penghu-Matsu Branch stated that China's regular "gray zone" harassment tactics, including incursions into Taiwan's restricted waters, are intended to create a false impression of jurisdiction over Taiwan's surrounding waters and deceive the international community. This action, the statement continued, not only hinders cross-strait peace but also severely infringes upon Taiwan's maritime rights and disrupts regional peace and stability. The Coast Guard Administration emphasized that it is fully monitoring these incursions and is prepared to respond to maintain maritime order and safety.

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China's gray zone harassment tactics, which are regularly launched, attempt to create a false impression of jurisdiction over Taiwan's surrounding waters through irrational actions like intruding into the restricted waters of outlying islands, intending to deceive the international community.