Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety.
The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day.
The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.”
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard Administration in the form of surveillance and reconnaissance of Chinese ships entering the county’s restricted waters.
Asked if the presence of Chinese ships would disrupt the shipping of supplies to Taiwan’s outlying islands, Sun said: “Overall we are very well prepared and have full confidence in ensuring regional security.”
Monday’s incident came two weeks before the May 20 inauguration of president-elect William Lai (賴清德).
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