Taiwan dispatches patrol frigate over Chinese vessels near Pratas Islands

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Taiwan on Saturday dispatched the patrol frigate CG‑129 Kaohsiung and two patrol boats in response to the sighting of a Chinese survey vessel near restricted waters around the Pratas Islands, according to the Coast Guard Administration (CGA).

Replying to CNA at 7:43 p.m. Saturday, the CGA said its patrol vessels were en route to the area to assess the situation relating to the Chinese survey vessel Hai Si Lu No. 6 and back up coast guard units stationed on the Taiwan-administered Pratas Islands, also known as the Dongsha Islands, in the South China Sea.

Hai Si Lu No. 6 was spotted at 6:28 a.m. Saturday about 32.7 nautical miles southeast of the Dongsha Islands, outside the restricted waters, which are defined as extending 24 nautical miles from the atoll's territorial baseline, CGA said in a news release earlier that day.

The vessel was continuing to sail along the edge of the restricted zone, CGA told CNA in a text message Saturday evening.

According to the CGA, the incident followed the spotting of Chinese coast guard ship 3501 at 8 a.m. Friday about 33 nautical miles north of the Dongsha Islands.

After the Chinese Coast Guard vessel was spotted, it was monitored by Taiwanese Coast Guard patrols as it sailed along the edge of the restricted zone until it left the area and dropped off Taiwan's radar at 6 p.m. Saturday, the CGA said.

Earlier Saturday, Taiwan Coast Guard vessel Changhua (CG1001) confronted the Chinese Coast Guard ship, the CGA said in the news release.

During that confrontation, the Chinese crew issued a political message promoting unification and claiming that Taiwan's future lies in "national reunification."

Taiwanese Coast Guard personnel responded by saying "the Chinese vessel had entered Taiwan's waters without authorization and that its actions exposed Beijing's claims of peaceful intentions as deceptive," according to the CGA.