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.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS