Taiwan says China harassing shipping with east coast patrol

TAIPEI, Nov 1 (Reuters) – China’s Coast Guard is harassing shipping with its latest patrol off Taiwan’s east coast and trying to exert a fictional jurisdiction, the Taiwanese Coast Guard said, adding it had sent its own ships to keep watch.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up activity off the island’s east coast since June with regular coast guard patrols. Officials in Taiwan, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty ​claims, say they believe China is practising for a potential maritime blockade using overlapping military, paramilitary and civilian assets.

Taipei regards the area off its east ​coast as critical to wartime supply routes from allies in the event of a blockade or conflict. China recognises no claims of sovereignty by Taiwan. 

Responding late Saturday to China’s announcement of its latest east coast patrol, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said two Chinese ships were involved and it had sent its own forces to monitor.

Chinese state media showed video of one of its ships broadcasting a radio message that it was carrying out law enforcement and offering help should any be needed. 

It did not say who the message was broadcast at, but showed footage of an unidentified fishing trawler.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard said China’s “attempts to harass ships at sea through radio communications are a clear expansion of power that violate international law, undermine regional peace and stability, and deviate from reality”.

“Our country holds sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the exclusive economic zone east of Taiwan, and China has absolutely no jurisdiction over any of Taiwan’s waters,” it added.

China on Saturday also sent another Coast Guard ship close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands, which are strategically located at the top of the South China Sea, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said separately.

Taiwan has so far this year “expelled” Chinese Coast Guard vessels from Pratas waters 13 times, it added.

The Pratas have no permanent civilian population and lie roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong. Security experts see them as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their ​distance — more than 400 km (250 ​miles) — from Taiwan.

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Lincoln Feast.)