Taiwan Coast Guard expels Chinese vessels from restricted waters after standoff

Taiwan's Coast Guard successfully monitored and expelled four Chinese official vessels that intruded into waters southwest of Taiwan's Eluanbi. The Chinese ships, identified as "Haixun 06," "Haixun 08," "Haixun 09," and "Donghai Rescue 113," entered a restricted area approximately 30 nautical miles offshore on Sunday afternoon.

In response, Taiwan deployed five large vessels and two patrol boats, engaging the Chinese ships in a 1-on-1 parallel monitoring formation. During the confrontation, the Chinese "Haixun 06" broadcast claims of jurisdiction, which Taiwan's Kaohsiung ship forcefully refuted. The Taiwanese vessel warned that disrupting the Taiwan Strait's status quo would lead to global sanctions, asserting that the Chinese ships had no jurisdiction in the waters east of Taiwan and that their actions violated international law.

Under pressure from Taiwan's coast guard, the four Chinese vessels were initially pushed back to about 33 nautical miles southeast of Eluanbi by 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. They remained under continuous surveillance until 3:20 a.m. on Monday, when they finally sailed east out of Taiwanese waters, approximately 50 nautical miles southeast of Orchid Island.

The Coast Guard Administration criticized China's actions as deliberate gray-zone conflict tactics aimed at creating a false impression of jurisdiction and unilaterally altering the status quo. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to defending national sovereignty with all necessary means, stating that challenges to maritime security would not be tolerated.