Taiwan Coast Guard ramping up efforts to stop Chinese fishing boats from operating across borders

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) officials said on Sunday that they are boosting efforts to stop Chinese fishing boats from operating across borders, noting that only sporadic violations have been reported so far, Central News Agency (CNA reported).

In a press release, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch said that as of noon Sunday, only the outlying Matsu and Kinmen islands had reported some cross-border Chinese fishing activities.

Taiwan’s CGA said that all illegal fishing vessels have been expelled and added that there were no violations despite concerns following China’s three and a halfmonth fishing moratorium concluded on August 16, according to CNA report.

In response to potential offences, the CGA said it had deployed one ship, 19 boats, 29 vehicles, 74 motorcycles and 301 personnel over the past two days.

Taiwan’s CGA rejected media reports that claimed that Chinese fishing boats were using fake automatic tracking systems (AIS) to appear as Taiwanese vessels, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

Citing a marine patrol operation on the afternoon of August 17, the CGA said that they identified about 20 Chinese fishing boats approximately 20 nautical miles outside the restricted waters around Penghu County, where no Taiwanese vessels or related AIS signals were detected.

Earlier on July 11, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) shadowed four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled waters around offshore Kinmen County on Thursday, Central News Agency (CNA) reported.

In a statement, the CGA said that four Chinese vessels approached the outer boundary of “restricted” waters around Kinmen and intruded into Taiwan-controlled waters at 7 am (local time) from four different points to the east and southeast of Liaoluo Bay, the south of Zhaishan, and the south of Fengzui.

It was China Coast Guard vessels’ first intrusion in July and 31st in 2024, according to Taiwan’s CGA. Taiwan’s CGA sent four ships to shadow the intruders and broadcast warnings, the statement said, according to CNA report.

The Chinese ships left the restricted waters at 9 am (local time) and re-entered at 10 am (local time) when Taiwan’s Coast Guard again dispatched four vessels following Beijing’s action.

Later, Chinese vessels left Taiwan-controlled waters between 12 pm (local time) to 1 pm (local time). Taiwan’s CGA said that the China Coast Guard’s actions undermined maritime safety and do not help cross-strait exchanges. The CGA stated that it will continue to uphold Taiwan’s rights in the sea.