Taipei [Taiwan], June 20 (ANI): Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said on Wednesday that a new regulation implemented by the China Coast Guard last week will not affect Taiwan’s law enforcement at sea, Central News Agency (CNA reported.
The new regulation, which took effect on June 15, enables the China Coast Guard to board and hold vessels in waters it lays claim to and question and detain foreign nationals found to have violated its “exit and entry rules” for up to 60 days.
The China Coast Guard implemented the new regulation amid territorial disputes between Beijing and Manila near the Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea. The Philippines has accused the China Coast Guard of trying to stop its fishing vessels from accessing its fishing grounds in the area by deploying water cannons and using ramming tactics.
Meanwhile, China has repeatedly accused the Philippines of ramming its vessels and stressed that it has the right to legally patrol the disputed waters off the Spratly Islands, according to CNA report.
While addressing a press conference, CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin said that the new rule will not impact the CGA’s law enforcement, which is carried out according to the Coast Guard Act and the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area.
China’s Coast Guard has been entering Taiwan-controlled “prohibited and restricted waters” near the Kinmen Islands since the unnamed and unregistered Chinese speedboat capsized on February 14.
The vessel allegedly collided with a CGA patrol vessel and capsized in waters near Kinmen while being pursued, resulting in the deaths of two Chinese crew members.
Since then, China has sent coast guard vessels into the Taiwan-controlled waters, claiming it has the right to legally patrol the disputed area, CNA reported.
Hsieh Ching-chin said that the CGA has implemented principles while responding to contingencies at sea, which include guidelines on communicating with the armed forces of Taiwan and friendly nations.
Taiwan’s personnel said there have been no instances of China Coast Guard vessels entering the prohibited and restricted waters off Kinmen in May. He noted that an average of four Chinese coast guard vessels were spotted in waters near Kinmen every day in the first two weeks of June and they were all anchored in four zones around the Taiwan-controlled waters, Central News Agency reported.
Hsieh said that from February to May, Chinese coast guard fleets intruded into the prohibited and restricted waters near Kinmen on average five times a month. He asserted that Taiwan’s CGA will vigorously defend the rights and interests of its fishing vessels and uphold national sovereignty and maritime safety.
Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China, has long been a contentious issue in China’s foreign policy. China continues to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan and considers it a part of its territory and insists on eventual reunification, by force if necessary. (ANI)
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