By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, May 24 (Reuters) – A Chinese coast guard ship left the waters near Taiwan's Pratas Islands, located in the South China Sea, after a tense standoff and heated exchanges betw...
By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard
TAIPEI, May 24 (Reuters) – A Chinese coast guard ship left the waters near Taiwan's Pratas Islands, located in the South China Sea, after a tense standoff and heated exchanges between the coast guards, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard.
China asserts that Taiwan, which is governed democratically, is part of its territory. However, the government in Taipei firmly opposes this claim.
To apply pressure on Taiwan, China has increased its military presence around the island. Taipei remains vigilant for any further actions from China, especially after discussions about Taiwan took place between President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing this month.
The Pratas Islands, located roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, are considered vulnerable to possible Chinese attacks since they are over 400 km (250 miles) away from the main island of Taiwan, according to some security experts.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard reported that on Saturday, they noticed a Chinese Coast Guard ship approaching the Pratas and quickly deployed their own vessel, which issued warnings. Both sides engaged in a heated verbal exchange regarding sovereignty over the radio.
The Chinese ship claimed it was on a routine mission and stated that China holds sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Pratas. In response, the Taiwanese vessel urged, “Please do not destroy peace. You should return and strive for democracy. That is the correct way to serve your country,” as shown in a video from Taiwan's coast guard.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not comment on the situation.
The Taiwan coast guard noted that the Chinese ship finally began to sail away from the Pratas late Sunday afternoon.
A Taiwan coast guard official mentioned to Reuters that the Chinese claims of jurisdiction and sovereignty were unusual, as was the length of their stay in waters near the Pratas.
Additionally, the coast guard reported that on Friday night, they successfully drove away the Chinese research ship “Tongji” for the second time this month from waters close to the island.
The Pratas Islands, which are also a Taiwanese national park, have minimal defense and are primarily protected by the coast guard rather than the military.
Earlier in January, Taiwan mentioned a Chinese reconnaissance drone had briefly flown over the Pratas.
On Saturday, Joseph Wu, the Secretary-General of Taiwan’s National Security Council, posted on X about the 100 Chinese ships currently present in what he termed the first island chain, an area stretching from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines.