The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea.
The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement.
The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said.
Photo courtesy of the CGA Dongsha-Nansha Branch
At 6:31pm on Friday, a Chinese fishing boat was spotted 11.6 nautical miles east of Pratas, trespassing in the island’s restricted waters, it said in a separate statement.
At 11:09pm, two CGA patrol boats seized a small raft belonging to the Chinese fishing boat 2.5 nautical miles northeast of the island before expelling the fishing boat, the second statement said, adding that no other Chinese ships had been detected in the area as of yesterday.
China’s State Council on Tuesday announced the approval of a plan to create a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島), saying it was to improve marine protection.
The feature is claimed by both countries and the Philippines.
China Coast Guard ships have frequently engaged in provocative and unlawful actions against neighboring countries, the CGA said yesterday, adding that it would keep dispatching vessels to safeguard the area and defend Taiwan’s national sovereignty.
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