Taiwan Coast Guard Uses Water Cannon on Mainland Fishing Boat Near Dongsha; Beijing Says Taipei Must Bear All Consequences
Taiwan Coast Guard vessels used a water cannon this month on a mainland Chinese fishing boat that had ignored warnings in restricted waters near the Dongsha Islands, according to Reuters, citing Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration. The fishing boat later suffered engine failure and was towed away by a mainland vessel nearby.
Responding to the incident, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for mainland China's Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said on October 14 that China holds "indisputable sovereignty" over the Dongsha Islands and their surrounding waters, that mainland vessels operating in the area are lawful and legitimate, and that the Taiwan side "must bear all consequences arising from this." Chen did not specify what those consequences would be.
Taiwan gave a different account. A Taiwan official told Reuters that coast guard personnel were conducting "normal law enforcement" and that the response was "very cautious and proportionate."
The Dongsha Islands lie in the northern South China Sea. Reuters did not specify the exact date of this month's water-cannon incident, and the two sides offered differing characterizations of the event and of rights in the waters involved. (Reporting by Reuters)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 台湾海巡署4000吨级巡防舰「嘉义舰」交船典礼（资料图），总统府 摄（Makoto Lin），CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）
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