Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea.
Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release.
While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration via CNA
Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase patrols around the Dongsha Islands, it added.
On Feb. 26, the CGA stopped and boarded the Chinese fishing vessel Yueraoyu 23588, and two Chinese coast guard vessels attempted to intervene, it said.
On Tuesday last week, the CGA stopped another Chinese vessel and was again interrupted by the Chinese coast guard, it added.
Similar incidents also occurred between Wednesday last week and Tuesday, when Chinese coast guard vessels lingered near the restricted waters around the Dongsha Islands, the CGA said.
The CGA condemned the actions of the Chinese coast guard, saying the interference was an act of provocation against Taiwan’s sovereignty.
The Dongsha Atoll National Park is Taiwan’s first marine national park and there are clear regulations banning commercial and private fishing in the area, it said.
Taiwan’s conservation efforts in the area have resulted in its marine population being rich and abundant, it said.
By comparison, China has heavily depleted its ocean resources, which is why Chinese fishers are trespassing into Taiwan’s waters to fish illegally, it added.
In observation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Taiwan would continue to combat illegal fishing and activities that seek to ruin the sustainability of marine life, it said.
Having its coast guard chaperone its vessels to engage in illegal fishing shows a complete disregard for ocean sustainability, the CGA said.
The Chinese coast guard’s actions not only heightened cross-strait tension, but also disrupted peace, it said, vowing to continue monitoring the activities of the Chinese coast guard to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty and ensure the sustainability of marine resources.
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