TAIPEI, Taiwan — Five Chinese coast guard ships entered prohibited or restricted waters around Taiwan’s frontline islands of Kinmen on Monday but left shortly after being warned away, a Taiwan minister said Tuesday amid a continued rise in tensions with Beijing.
China’s coast guard this month began regular patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which are close to China’s coast, after two Chinese nationals died trying to flee Taiwan’s coast guard after their boat entered prohibited waters.
Kuan Bi-ling, head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, which runs the coast guard, told reporters at parliament that the Chinese boats left the area shortly after Taiwan’s coast guard told them to leave.
“The political significance is high, which is a form of a declaration of sovereignty,” she said.
China’s coast guard, which has no publicly available contact details, has yet to comment.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office…
