After a series of incidents involving Chinese Coast Guard ships entering restricted waters around Kinmen Island in Taiwan, tensions escalated once again on the mornings of October 29th and 30th as four Chinese ships entered the restricted area prompting the Taiwan Coast Guard to dispatch four patrol vessels to broadcast warnings and drive them away.
Due to the impact of Typhoon Kang-Rui, gusts in the waters near Kinmen Island reached levels as high as 10 to 11, prompting land authorities to issue a typhoon warning and advise all fishing vessels to return to port. Despite these conditions, Chinese Coast Guard ships persisted in disrupting the restricted waters around Kinmen Island for the third consecutive day following their initial incursion two days prior.
The Taiwan Coast Guard’s Kinmen-Penghu Branch reported that around 8 a.m. this morning, four Chinese Coast Guard ships were detected assembling in the southern waters of Kinmen and approaching the outer limits of the restricted zone. In response to this provocation, the Kinmen-Penghu Branch immediately deployed its four patrol vessels to confront the Chinese ships in a one-on-one manner, bravely facing the harsh weather conditions of strong winds and high waves.
At 8:50 a.m., Chinese Coast Guard vessels numbered “14512,” “14609,” “14603,” and “14602” entered the restricted waters around Kinmen from various directions. The Taiwan Coast Guard vessels promptly approached the Chinese ships and issued broadcast warnings, demanding their immediate departure from Taiwanese waters. Under the surveillance and warnings of the Taiwan Coast Guard vessels, the Chinese ships departed around 11 a.m. after a standoff lasting approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes.
The Taiwan Coast Guard expressed concern over the Chinese Coast Guard’s continual threats and provocations in the busy maritime lanes, emphasizing that such actions not only pose a serious threat to maritime safety but also exacerbate the divide between the two sides, hampering people-to-people exchanges. The Taiwan Coast Guard called on China to cease such provocative behaviors immediately and reiterated its commitment to maintaining maritime security and order in defense of national sovereignty without provocation or conflict.