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Taiwan Coast Guard Tells Ships to Ignore Chinese Boarding Requests Amid Tensions
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Conflict & Security

Taiwan Coast Guard Tells Ships to Ignore Chinese Boarding Requests Amid Tensions

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Ongoing story
  • Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration urged Taiwanese vessels to disregard Chinese boarding requests amid rising maritime tensions.
  • China has increased its maritime activity east of Taiwan, conducting a "special maritime traffic control operation."
  • Taiwan insists China has no jurisdiction in its eastern waters, asserting the island's right to self-determination.

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has instructed Taiwanese vessels to ignore potential boarding and inspection requests from Chinese coast guard ships. This directive comes amid escalating tensions due to increased maritime activity by Beijing in waters east of the island.

no atiendan a los requerimientos

— Hsieh Ching-chinInstructions for Taiwanese vessels encountering Chinese coast guard requests.

Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director of the CGA, stated that the government has ordered Taiwanese ships to immediately notify Taiwanese coast guard vessels if they encounter such a situation. They are to proceed towards the patrol boats and "not heed the requirements" of the Chinese coast guard. Hsieh emphasized that China "does not possess jurisdiction in the waters east of Taiwan," therefore Taiwanese vessels "must not comply" with Chinese requests.

China "does not possess jurisdiction in the waters east of Taiwan."

— Hsieh Ching-chinAsserting Taiwan's position on Chinese jurisdiction.

These statements follow a "special maritime traffic control operation" launched by the Chinese government in waters east of Taiwan. Beijing claims this operation is a response to Japan and the Philippines initiating negotiations to define their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in the region. China stated the operation aimed to exercise its "maritime law enforcement administrative jurisdiction," enhance its long-range patrol and traffic control capabilities in "key maritime areas," ensure navigation safety, and "safeguard national interests."

maritime law enforcement administrative jurisdiction

— Chinese Ministry of TransportStated purpose of China's maritime operation.

During this operation, which ran from June 6 to 10, China reported inspecting 198 vessels and "correcting" three, according to its Ministry of Transport. Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense recorded a significant increase in Chinese maritime activity last month, with over a hundred official Chinese vessels around the island, compared to 44 in May and 40 in April. Beijing considers Taiwan an "inalienable part" of Chinese territory and does not rule out using force to regain control, a stance firmly rejected by the Taiwanese executive, which maintains that only the island's 23 million inhabitants have the right to decide their political future.

safeguard national interests

— Chinese Ministry of TransportStated purpose of China's maritime operation.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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