The Taiwan Ocean Affairs Council’s Coast Guard Administration in the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions stated that four Chinese Coast Guard ships intruded into Kinmen waters for two consecutive days on the 29th and 30th. The Coast Guard dispatched four patrol vessels to swiftly deploy and monitor to drive them away.
In a press release from the Taiwan Ocean Affairs Council’s Coast Guard Administration in the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions, it was mentioned that the Chinese Coast Guard Bureau’s East China Sea Branch issued a statement on the 30th for “routine law enforcement patrols near Jinmen,” which was refuted by the Coast Guard Administration as it did not align with the facts.
On July 29th and 30th, the Coast Guard Administration in the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions’ 12th patrol zone detected Chinese Coast Guard ships gathering off the eastern coast of Jinmen with apparent intentions of intrusion. To respond, the patrol vessels were swiftly deployed to prevent the Chinese Coast Guard ships from entering Kinmen waters.
The Coast Guard Administration in the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions pointed out that on the afternoon of the 29th at 3 p.m., four Chinese Coast Guard ships with identification numbers “14605,” “14529,” “14608,” and “14513” simultaneously entered Kinmen waters from the southeast of Liao Island and sailed west in a convoy formation. The Coast Guard swiftly deployed four patrol vessels and by 5 p.m., the Chinese Coast Guard ships were driven out of the restricted waters.
Less than 24 hours later, the same four Chinese Coast Guard ships once again intruded into Kinmen waters on the 30th at 9 a.m., attempting to evade detection by closing their Automatic Identification System (AIS). However, they were detected by the Coast Guard, which immediately dispatched four patrol vessels to respond. Through radio broadcasts in Chinese and English, the Chinese Coast Guard ships were instructed to turn away, and under the monitoring of the patrol vessels, they left the restricted waters of Kinmen by 11:05 a.m.
The Coast Guard Administration in the Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu regions noted that the Chinese Coast Guard ships continuously employ gray zone tactics to harass the area each month, including attempts to relax Coast Guard monitoring by turning off AIS. This is considered a form of “routine harassment” under the guise of “law enforcement patrols.” The administration pledged to maintain high-intensity surveillance, response, and deployment capabilities, monitor the movements of the Chinese Coast Guard ships, uphold a firm law enforcement stance, and fully defend national sovereignty and maritime security.