Coast guard denies report of French warship anchoring off Taiwan

Taipei, Aug. 12 (CNA) The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said Thursday there was no truth to a social media report that a French military vessel had anchored in waters off Taiwan's west coast the previous day.

The radar systems at Taiwan's maritime coastal stations did not detect the presence of any French naval vessel near Taiwan on Wednesday, CGA said, adding that the air and sea around the country is constantly being monitored.

The CGA statement was issued after New27Brigade, a social media fan page, said Wednesday in a Facebook post that a French frigate believed to be the FS Provence was anchored off the west coast of Taiwan.

To pinpoint the ship's alleged position, New27Brigade also posted a link to the site MarineTraffic, an open platform that provides real-time information on the movements of ships and their current location in harbors and ports.

The CGA's statement on Thursday contradicted an earlier one by its Central Branch, which said that a French warship had indeed anchored near Taiwan on Wednesday, but the branch did not explain why.