China, Taiwan spar over legality of coast guard patrols east of island

The Korea Times

China, Taiwan spar over legality of coast guard patrols east of island

BEIJING/TAIPEI — China and Taiwan sparred on Wednesday over the legality of Chinese coast guard patrols to the east of the island, after the government in Taipei said merchant ships had been "harassed" close to its waters. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, was angered after Japan and the Philippines said last month they would begin formal talks on their maritime boundaries, viewing that as involving waters off Taiwan. Late on Saturday, Chinese state media reported ships had been sent to carry out a "special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation" in the waters east of Taiwan in response to the Japanese and Philippine announcement. Taiwan said those ships had in recent days been "harassing" commercial shipping by asking them for information about their point of origin and destination and claiming jurisdiction. "The relevant mainland authorities' law-enforcement patrols in the relevant waters are a just act to safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said in

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