Taiwan accuses China of harassment after coast guard standoff near Pratas Islands

Taiwan's coast guard accused China of harassment after a Chinese coast guard vessel entered restricted waters near the Pratas Islands, a disputed coral island group administered by Taiwan in the South China Sea, early on Saturday. A Taiwanese coast guard vessel confronted the Chinese ship and asked it to leave, the coast guard said.

At the height of the standoff the two ships came within 1 nautical mile (1.9 kilometers) of each other, Taiwan's coast guard said. It called on Beijing "to immediately cease these pointless acts of harassment." The coast guard said the incident was the 13th such intrusion near the Pratas Islands in 2026, involving 16 vessels.

Beijing says the waters it patrols fall under its jurisdiction. Also on Saturday, China's coast guard announced it had sent a group of vessels to conduct a "routine law enforcement patrol" in waters east of Taiwan. "The China Coast Guard will continue to intensify its law enforcement patrols in waters under its jurisdiction, firmly upholding the nation's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests," its statement read.

China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to annex it. Beijing sends warships and military jets near the island almost daily, and in recent months has stepped up coast guard patrols, especially in waters east of Taiwan, raising alarm in Taipei. In June, France, Germany and Britain issued a rare joint statement expressing alarm over Chinese activities east of Taiwan, saying they endangered regional stability.