Taiwan expelled four Chinese Coast Guard ships sailing near the Kinmen Islands, an archipelago under Taiwanese control located a few kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen (southeast), official sources on the island reported. The Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that four Chinese vessels entered the “restricted waters” of the Kinmen around 3:30 p.m. (07:30 GMT) on Monday.
In response, The CGA “immediately” sent three patrol boats “to prevent the fleet from continuing to sail,” something he achieved around 4:37 p.m. (08:37 GMT), when the Chinese ships left the area.
The Taiwanese side indicated that this type of incursions “seriously damage peace and stability” on both sides of the strait, while urging the Chinese authorities to “immediately” stop this behavior and defend the “principle of reciprocity and mutual respect.” .
According to the statement, the CGA will continue to monitor the situation with detection and search teams “24 hours a day”, acting “firmly” to repel these incursions, carried out “at irregular intervals and without prior notice.”
“In terms of law enforcement, official ships of the continent that sail in our prohibited and restricted waters will be expelled to ensure the safety and order of navigation at sea,” stated the official text. The Kinmen Islands are located just ten kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen and another 180 kilometers from the main island of Taiwan.
The tension around this archipelago, where around 100,000 Taiwanese live, skyrocketed on February 14, when a Chinese speedboat – which had no certificate, name or port registration number – entered the waters of the Kinmen and two of its four crew members died after a chase by the Taiwanese Coast Guard.
After this event, China announced “patrols” to “protect the lives and property of fishermen”something that has resulted in the frequent incursion of its Coast Guard vessels into this area.
The Kinmen Islands have been the subject of multiple disputes between China and Taiwan over the decades, most notably the massive bombing of 1958, when the Chinese Army opened fire on the archipelago in the context of the second Taiwan Strait crisis.
The presence of these Chinese ships around the Kinmen took place with two weeks left before the elected president and current vice president of Taiwan, William Lai (Lai Ching-te), considered an “independence supporter” in the eyes of Beijing, assumes the position of president.
