Taiwan yesterday condemned reported actions by the China Coast Guard against a Japanese patrol vessel attempting to shelter from Typhoon Dolphin, saying that emergency refuge should not be used to challenge Taiwan’s sovereignty or jurisdiction.
Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) made the remarks after reports that China Coast Guard vessel No. 2304 on Friday night tailed the Japan Coast Guard’s Urado (PL-86) as it sailed from waters off Taichung toward Penghu County to evade the typhoon.
Penghu fishers said they also spotted China Coast Guard vessels numbered 2504, 2102, 2301 and 1401 around the Strait’s median line west of Penghu.
Photo: Screen grab from the Internet
At 3pm on Saturday, Urado was flanked by China Coast Guard ships Nos. 2301 and 2504 from the north and south about 35 nautical miles (65km) off Penghu, a vessel tracking map showed.
Taking preventive shelter from storms should not be politicized, Sung said.
The Central Mountain Range is a natural barrier against typhoons, making waters to Taiwan’s west a necessary refuge for vessels seeking emergency shelter, he said.
The government notifies vessels of dangers through maritime communication channels when natural hazards or emergencies arise in the surrounding waters, Sung said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) closely monitors sea conditions and provides assistance to vessels and people in danger regardless of nationality, he said.
That reflects Taiwan’s practice of providing humanitarian refuge and fulfilling its legal obligations under international law, Sung said.
Although allowing foreign government vessels to take shelter from storms has caused debate in the past, the authorities have addressed such incidents in a neutral and equitable manner based on international humanitarian obligations while upholding Taiwan’s sovereignty, he said.
The CGA has offered help to Chinese vessels in distress in line with the spirit of rescue efforts transcending national borders, even when the CGA faced heavy workloads or when China was conducting military drills targeting Taiwan, the deputy minister said.
Foreign government vessels seeking emergency shelter must have a genuine need for it, must not linger under the pretext of emergency shelter once the emergency ends and must not engage in any activity that undermines Taiwan’s peace, order or security, Sung said.
The vessels should announce their purpose of seeking shelter using systems such as the automatic identification system and keep communication channels open so Taiwan can provide assistance, he added.
Taiwan would not allow any vessels to engage in activities that would undermine the nation’s sovereignty, defense or security under the pretext of taking shelter in nearby waters, Sung said.
Taiwan also firmly opposes China’s use of “law enforcement,” “parallel sailing” or “tailing and surveillance” actions against foreign vessels seeking shelter in an attempt to deny Taiwan’s sovereignty and jurisdiction, he said.
Typhoon Dolphin is expected to enter the East China Sea on Saturday and intensify rainfall in western regions over the weekend as the typhoon’s outer circulation sweeps across the sea north of Taiwan, independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said today. The eastern coast should prepare for extreme heat caused by downslope winds over the weekend, while southwesterly winds from Monday would bring localized heavy rain to the southwest, he said. As Typhoon Dolphin’s outer bands move past northern Taiwan over the next couple of days, northern, central and southern areas would experience showers tomorrow, he said. Rainfall over the weekend would lead to
Taiwan could issue a sea warning for Typhoon Dolphin as early as Friday afternoon if the storm maintains its current westward track, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the center of the typhoon was about 2,590km east of Taipei and moving west at 21kph, potentially bringing hazardous conditions to waters surrounding Taiwan by Saturday. Dolphin is expected to reach waters south of the Ryukyu Islands around Saturday, but its track beyond that remains highly uncertain, CWA forecaster Lin Ping-yu (林秉煜) said. The typhoon could either continue moving westward or veer northward, Lin said. A westward track would bring
STORM SEASON: A typhoon and two tropical storms currently forming are certainly making life exciting for those living the western Pacific, the CWA said One typhoon and two tropical storms are in the west Pacific, and a sea warning for Typhoon Dolphin could be issued as early as tomorrow afternoon as the storm closes on Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the center of the typhoon was about 1,680km east of Taipei and moving west at 20kph, the CWA said. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Kujia formed west of Luzon at 2am yesterday and is forecast to move east of the island before weakening and being absorbed by Typhoon Dolphin, the agency said. Steered by the Pacific high-pressure system, Dolphin is forecast to
EXPANSIONISM: Taiwan has established a cross-agency mechanism to share its experience with other nations to help build a united front against China, Joseph Wu said National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) has accused China of using its coast guard and other official vessels to threaten not only Taiwan, but the broader Indo-Pacific region. “The threat posed by China is toward the whole region,” Wu said in an English-language interview with Nikkei Asia published yesterday. The entire First Island Chain, stretching from Japan southward through Taiwan to the Philippines and Malaysia, is facing increasing maritime aggression, he said. Taiwan’s intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems have detected a significant increase in Chinese official vessel activity in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the western Pacific and the South
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