By Ben Blanchard / Reuters, TAIPEI
Taiwan’s maritime sovereignty “cannot be violated” by Chinese efforts to create a false impression of jurisdiction, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said after China ended a patrol off the nation’s eastern shores.
China, which claims Taiwan as its own and has never renounced the use of force to annex it, was angered after Japan and the Philippines last month said they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, viewing that as involving waters off Taiwan.
Late on Saturday, Chinese state media reported that ships had been sent to carry out a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation” and inspect shipping in waters east of Taiwan, in response to the Japanese and Philippine announcement.
Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration
Late yesterday, Chinese state media said that the patrol had ended, after it had “inspected 198 passing vessels and rectified violations involving three ships,” carried out a hydrographic survey and patrolled areas where undersea cables are located.
Beijing has no jurisdiction in those waters, and whenever Chinese ships appear, Taiwan’s vessels would “forcefully drive them away, and maintain the freedom and safety of navigation,” the CGA said in a statement.
“Our nation’s maritime sovereignty cannot be violated,” the CGA said. “Any country that asserts jurisdiction will be expelled without exception.”