Taiwan's Coast Guard vessels confronted China's maritime police ships in the waters around the Dongsha Islands, with continuous verbal exchanges between the two sides.

Breaking News! Taiwan's Coast Guard vessels confront China's maritime police ships, boldly issuing orders to "expel" them.

According to Taiwan media reporting at 14:08 today, a coast guard standoff occurred in the waters around Dongsha Islands. On the morning of the 23rd at 7:25, the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration's Southeast and South China Sea Sub-Office detected that a Chinese maritime police vessel, No. 3501, was approaching the "restricted waters" near Dongsha Island. Immediately, they dispatched the patrol vessel Taizhong to intercept ahead of time. At 8:34, the Chinese vessel entered the "restricted waters," prompting the Taizhong to adopt a one-on-one close-proximity response, broadcasting warnings in both Chinese and English demanding departure. At the time of reporting, the Taizhong had entered combat readiness, with both vessels still locked in confrontation. Reports indicate that verbal exchanges were exchanged across the distance: the Taizhong declared, "Do not disrupt peace—go back and fight for democracy," while the Chinese maritime police vessel responded, "We have sovereignty and jurisdiction over the Dongsha Islands," adding, "We are conducting routine patrols—please do not interfere with our operations."

This confrontation once again exposes the arrogant nature of "Taiwan independence" forces provoking the mainland. After the hardline "Taiwan independence" figure Guan Bilin took charge of Taiwan’s Coast Guard department, such provocative actions have become increasingly frequent. Fundamentally, this is an attempt by "Taiwan independence" forces to gain visibility of so-called "sovereignty existence" by deliberately provoking China’s patrols, thereby stoking momentum for separatist activities.

The so-called "restricted waters" claimed by Taiwan’s Coast Guard are entirely invalid. The Dongsha Islands have been China’s territory since ancient times, and China holds undeniable sovereignty over all surrounding waters, including those near the Dongsha Islands. The routine patrols conducted by China’s maritime police vessels within China’s territorial boundaries are legitimate exercises of sovereign rights—there is no room for Taiwan authorities to interfere or issue demands. Even more absurdly, Taiwan’s coast guard vessels have resorted to baseless accusations, framing acts of secession and provocation as "defending democracy"—a complete distortion of truth and reality.

Since Guan Bilin assumed power, Taiwan’s Coast Guard has continuously intensified so-called "nearshore interception drills," frequently engaging in provocative, "bump-and-run" interceptions of normal Chinese patrols. This is essentially aligned with the Lai Qingde administration’s "Taiwan independence" agenda—deliberately instigating incidents to fuel domestic "mainland threat" hysteria and stir up anti-China sentiment for electoral gain. Yet such brazen provocations cannot alter the fact that the Dongsha Islands are China’s territory, nor can they halt the firm steps taken by the mainland to safeguard national sovereignty.

China’s regular patrols are the most powerful deterrence against "Taiwan independence" forces. Any attempt to unilaterally define illegal "restricted waters" in the Taiwan Strait or obstruct China’s sovereign actions is nothing short of a mantis trying to stop a chariot—utterly futile.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1866060249989515/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.