Taiwan has remained on high alert to Chinese incursions into its waters reporting the latest incident took place on March 12 but was quickly resolved. The Coast Guard is reporting that it detected a research vessel in restricted waters and then again today four Chinese Coast Guard vessels entered the same area in Kinmen near Dongding Island in the Taiwan Strait.
Numerous previous incidents have been reported leading to Taiwan announcing that it was increasing its monitoring and efforts to interdict vessels loitering in its waters. It said a specific target would be Chinese-owned merchant ships operating under foreign flags such as Cameroon and Tanzania. In January, a Chinese-owned cargo ship was accused of damaging offshore cables and at the end of February, the Coast Guard detained a Chinese-owned vessel registered in Togo. The Coast Guard believed it caught the vessel in the act of dragging its anchor near sensitive undersea cables. Taiwan’s telecom provider reported at the same time that one of its cables had been interrupted.
The Kinmen, Matsu, and Penghu branch of the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration reports it detected a Chinese research vessel, Yanping 2 entering the restricted waters at midday on March 12. After making radar contact, the Coast Guard sent two patrol boats at approximately 1300 local time to intercept the vessel. When the patrol boats reached the area, they immediately began broadcasting messages for the Yanping 2 to depart the area.
The Coast Guard Administration reports as the Chinese vessel was being directed out of the area its crews observed the vessel dropping some type of detection equipment into the water. One of the patrol boats began searching the waters while they also broadcast a message to the Chinese to retrieve the equipment that had been released into the water.
Taiwan condemned China for “harassing our waters” with scientific research vessels and survey ships (CGA)
The Yanping 2 has been registered as operating over the past decade for the Fujian Seismological Bureau and Fujian Marine Research Institute. Taiwanese officials said they believe the Chinese are conducting seabed geology, topography, and hydrology research, but it might not be purely for scientific research purposes. They believe the Chinese could be using the guise of scientific research to hide its true intentions.
“The Coast Guard Administration strongly condemns China for harassing our waters with scientific research vessels and survey ships,” the officials said reporting yesterday’s incident.
After being confronted, the Chinese vessel Yanping 2 replied it would cooperate and stop the activities. It retrieved the equipment that had been placed in the waters. At 1552 the Coast Guard patrol boats reported the Chinese vessel had left the restricted area which was about three miles southeast of Dongding Island.
