The Chinese vessel Lian He Hai Gong 5001 (聯合海工5001) sailed in a circle around Taiwan from Wednesday to yesterday for an unexplained reason, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday.
The vessel departed from waters off China’s Fujian Province and reached waters south of Taiwan proper, according to data from “Taiwan ADIZ,” a Facebook page dedicated to reporting news and issues related to national defense.
After that, it turned north, sailed off Hualien County and reached waters north of Taiwan, the data showed.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan ADIZ Facebook page
The Lian He Hai Gong 5001 reached China’s Pingtan Island at 10am yesterday, the data showed.
Why the vessel circled around Taiwan during a joint combat readiness patrol by Beijing is unknown.
The coast guard yesterday said it monitored the Lian He Hai Gong 5001 continuously as it approached Taiwan.
It said it put patrol ships on high alert and dispatched them to give warning broadcasts.
The CGA said it had monitored the vessel through radar and had not detected any anchoring or underwater operations.
It said it had not received any reports of damaged submarine cables.
The CGA would continute to enhance its monitoring capacity with a focus on Chinese vessels and address their threatening moves promptly in accordance with regulations, it said.
It would continue to collaborate closely with the Ministry of National Defense, national security authorities and other governmental agencies to strengthen maritime surveillance and ensure national security, it added.
Meanwhile, the CGA said a China Coast Guard ship numbered 3302 had sailed into prohibited waters west-northwest of the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) at 6am yesterday.
It immediately dispatched the Shun Hu No. 7, a vessel at the Pratas Islands, to monitor the ship and broadcast warning messages.
It also dispatched the Yunlin patrol vessel, and drove the Chinese ship out of the prohibited waters northwest of the Pratas Islands at 6:10am yesterday, the CGA said.
From January to yesterday, six China Coast Guard ships have entered waters around the Pratas Islands 11 times, it said.
They circled around the islands and turned off their automatic identification systems to conceal their whereabouts, it said, adding that such “gray zone” tactics consumed coastal patrol authorities’ law enforcement capacity.
The CGA condemned such intrusions, saying that they not only infringed upon Taiwan’s sovereignty, contravening international law, but also increased the risk of maritime conflicts, undermining regional peace and stability.
The Dongsha Atoll National Park is Taiwan’s first marine national park where all fishing activities are prohibited, it said.
The coast guard said it chased off 31 Chinese fishing boats 111 times from waters around the Pratas Islands and detained seven boats from January to yesterday.
After China’s summer fishing moratorium began on May 1, Chinese fishing boats continued their operations at sea, reflecting a dysfunction in China’s maritime management, it said.
The coast guard urged the Chinese government to control its fishing boats.
China Coast Guard ships should also cease intruding into the waters, it said, adding that it would deploy more large vessels at the Pratas Islands to safeguard its marine resources and Taiwan’s national sovereignty.
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