Taiwan has released footage showing its coast guard using a water cannon to expel a Chinese fishing vessel from Taipei-controlled waters in the South China Sea.
The agency urged Beijing to rein in “illegal” fishing activities carried out by Chinese nationals in the area.
Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Taiwanese foreign ministries with written requests for comment.
Why It Matters
The incident occurred in a marine national park administered by Taiwan in the Pratas Islands, known in both Taiwan and China as the Dongsha Islands. Pratas Island, the largest in the group, has been home to a Taiwanese marine garrison since 2024.
China also claims the Pratas, as it does most of the South China Sea’s islands—claims that overlap with those of several neighbors, leading to sometimes tense confrontations with the Philippines in particular. Beijing likewise claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has threatened to bring the island under its control, by force if necessary.
What To Know
While on patrol on Saturday, Taiwan coast guard vessels Taichung and Patrol 9 discovered the Chinese fishing vessel Yue Shen Shan Yu 11366 had “illegally entered” Taiwan-claimed waters in the Pratas Islands, according to a coast guard statement.
Without delay, the Taichung fired its water cannon to expel the Chinese ship from the area, the agency said.
The coast guard stressed the Dongsha Atoll National Park serves to protect marine ecosystems and that all forms of fishing are strictly prohibited there. The agency added that so far this year, it has driven off 30 Chinese fishing vessels on 111 occasions and detained seven smaller boats.
There were no Chinese ships operating illegally in the area as of Monday, the agency said.
The coast guard also rebuked China for failing to enforce its own annual fishing ban, applied to much of the South China Sea from May 1 to August 16.
According to the moratorium—which also extends to parts of the Yellow Sea and East China Sea until September September 16—all offshore fishing vessels are required to return to port and cease operations to allow fisheries to recover.
The unilateral order has drawn protests from China’s neighbors, who argue it violates international law and infringes on their sovereignty over territorial waters and maritime zones.
What People Are Saying
Taiwan Coast Guard Agency said in a statement: “The Coast Guard Administration will strictly enforce the law to effectively deter mainland vessels from illegal crossings. It also calls on the Chinese side to restrain its fishing vessels and to refrain from illegal harvesting activities in the Dongsha waters, which would damage the marine ecosystem and run counter to the universal values of marine conservation.”
What Happens Next
Tensions are expected to persist between China and Taiwan under Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s Beijing-skeptical, Democratic Progressive Party-led administration.
Amid continuing pressure to defend its territorial claims, Taiwan is expected to continue responding forcefully to Chinese fishing vessels in waters it controls.
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