Taiwan minister: Five China coast guard vessels entered the seas around Kinmen

In the midst of growing tension with Beijing, a Taiwanese official informed reporters on Tuesday that five Chinese coast guard ships had entered restricted or forbidden seas on Monday surrounding Taiwan’s frontline island of Kinmen.

This month, the coast guard of China started conducting routine patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which are located near China’s borders. The reason for the patrols was because two Chinese people perished while attempting to escape Taiwan when their boat entered forbidden seas.

Reporters were informed by Kuan Bi-ling, chairman of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, that the Chinese vessels departed the area quickly after being ordered to do so by Taiwan’s coast guard.

Following the election of Lai Ching-te as president last month—a man Beijing views as a “dangerous separatist”—democratically controlled Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has been cautious of Beijing’s attempts to increase pressure on Taipei.

According to Taiwan’s coast guard, six Chinese coast guard officials last week entered a Taiwanese tourist boat that was carrying 23 passengers and 11 crew members in order to inspect the vessel’s personnel licenses, certificate, and route plan. The officers left about 30 minutes later.