The Coast Guard Administration yesterday said it drove away Chinese oceanographic research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 22 (向陽紅33) from restricted waters after warning it that it was in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
The Chinese vessel entered restricted waters off the coast of Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳) at 11:35pm on Thursday, the coast guard said, adding that it dispatched the Lanyu patrol vessel and the boat PP-10077 to shadow the Chinese ship and issue radio warnings ordering it to leave.
China has no sovereignty over waters off Taiwan’s east coast, Lanyu’s crew told Xiang Yang Hong 22 over the radio, and demanded that the vessel depart immediately.
Photo copied by Cheng Ching-yi, Taipei Time
The two Taiwanese vessels then flanked the Chinese ship, and carried out maneuvers designed to generate waves and disrupt the latter’s operations, the coast guard said.
At 4:20am yesterday, Xiang Yang Hong 22 left Taiwan’s restricted waters and continued north, it said, adding that it reached 35 nautical miles northeast of Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼) before it moved beyond the range of the Lanyu’s radar system.
The Lanyu initially spotted Xiang Yang Hong 22 41 nautical miles east of Hualien at 8pm on Thursday, the coast guard said.
Warnings to leave Taiwan’s EEZ were issued, and the research vessel left, heading north at a speed of 15 knots before entering restricted waters off Suao, it added.
China’s Xinhua News Agency said Xiang Yang Hong 22 was conducting a maritime ecological survey in waters east of Taiwan.
Beijing is using government and research vessels to navigate in Taiwan’s EEZ “as a pretext to engage in hegemonic expansion,” the coast guard said.
“Our country has sovereign rights and jurisdiction in its eastern exclusive economic zone, and China’s attempts to harass Taiwan through maritime navigation or scientific research cannot change this indisputable fact,” it added.
The Xiang Yang Hong 22 had been operating in waters off Taiwan’s east and southern coast for more than a week, it said.
The ship left Zhoushan in China’s Zhejiang Province on Wednesday last week and transited waters 52 nautical miles east of Japan’s Miyako Island the following day, the coast guard added.
From Friday last week to Monday, Xiang Yang Hong 22 sailed to an area 448 nautical miles east-southeast of Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), then returned north and began operating between Yonaguni Island and Taiwan’s eastern coast EEZ, the agency said.
The CGA said it would continue monitoring the vessel’s movements.
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