China Coast Guard and fishing vessels harass Dongsha Waters; Taiwan Coast Guard Administration expels them and seizes two illegal small boats
At 23:20 on August 20, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration (TCGA) Dongsha Command detected China Coast Guard (CCG) vessel “3102” entering Taiwan’s restricted waters 27 nautical miles south-southwest of Dongsha Island.
TCGA immediately deployed the pre-positioned patrol vessel “Changhua” and dispatched “Lienchiang” for additional support to monitor and expel the vessel.
At 22:40 on August 21, another Chinese fishing vessel “Yue Huilai Yu 00859” was discovered 7 nautical miles northeast of Dongsha Island, deploying small boats to conduct illegal fishing operations inside the atoll.
TCGA used superior patrol forces to expel the Chinese fishing vessel and detained two small boats. As of August 22, no China Coast Guard vessels or illegal fishing boats remained in Dongsha waters.
During the operation to expel the coast guard vessel, another Chinese fishing vessel “Yue Huilai Yu 00859” had earlier been detected 28 nautical miles northeast of Dongsha Island illegally entering the waters.
When the vessel deployed small boats to conduct illegal operations inside the reef area, TCGA patrol vessels surrounded and boarded the small boats, successfully seizing two illegal vessels.
TCGA believes that China may be using combined harassment by coast guard vessels and fishing boats, especially after the end of China’s seasonal fishing moratorium, to test and consume Taiwan’s law enforcement capacity.