🇨🇳🇹🇼 Beijing media attacks Taiwan vessel action

Taiwan’s coast guard said its Yunlin cutter on Oct. 1 found two mainland Chinese fishing boats operating in restricted waters 27 nautical miles east of Dongsha Island, and used water cannon to expel one after repeated radio warnings. One vessel departed, while the other, Jingsha, later lost power; Taiwanese personnel said no crew were injured, delivered hot meals, and transferred the boat to a mainland work vessel early the next day.

China’s state-backed Global Times called the action dangerous and beyond reasonable enforcement, criticizing the use of high-pressure water cannon toward the wheelhouse of a civilian vessel. The paper said fishermen from both sides have long operated in the area as a traditional fishing ground, and added that Beijing has the capacity for proportional maritime countermeasures while separating the DPP authorities’ position from that of the Taiwanese public.

The episode adds to cross-strait friction around maritime law enforcement near Dongsha. It also shows how routine fisheries incidents are being folded into broader sovereignty and deterrence messaging.

#China #Taiwan

@asianomics