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Image source,ROCCG
The Taiwan Maritime Patrol Department sent a 2000-ton Xinbei ship to support (data photo)
The Taiwanese government stated that recently hundreds of Chinese sand mining vessels have gathered in the waters off Matsu Nangan, and the Maritime Patrol has dispatched large ships to eject cross-border sand mining vessels.
A few days ago, some people in Matsu posted hundreds of photos on Facebook of alleged Chinese pumped sand boats gathering in the open sea, stating that “Matsu Nangan is now surrounded and is commonly known as the besieged island.”
The photos show that the suspected Chinese ships are infested off the coast of Matsu Nangan. The photos and posts have attracted the attention of the Taiwanese people and the media.
Ejects the cross-border sand mining ship
The Taiwan Executive Yuan Ocean Committee stated that between four hundred and five hundred Chinese ships gathered in the waters near Matsu, most of which were located outside the restricted waters of 6,000 meters.
However, due to the large number of ships, the Taiwan Maritime Patrol Agency urgently dispatched a 2000-ton Xinbei ship to support and ward off the sand mining ships that had crossed the border.
An official from the Department of Maritime Patrol stated that at least five vessels operating across the border had been expelled the first night and that they would work together to suppress illegal activities through a mechanism across the Strait.
Nangan Island is the largest island in the Matsu Archipelago and is also the seat of the Matsu administrative center. The island is 211 kilometers (114 nautical miles) from Taiwan, but only 18 kilometers (10 nautical miles) off the coast of Fujian.
Officials with the Maritime Patrol Administration said that Chinese sand-mining boats appeared more frequently in the waters near Matsu. From January to September this year, at least six Chinese sand-mining vessels were seized for cross-border operations, and thousands of tons of sand and gravel were seized to fill the waters of Matsu.
Blame each other
Zhu Fenglian, a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China, did not respond positively to questions from the media, saying only that the people of Taiwan would have “this and that” concerns because ” DPP and the separatist forces of Taiwan independence are constantly provoking.
Furthermore, regarding the incident that several Chinese fishing boats crossed the border to take refuge in the waters of Penghu and were expelled by the Taiwan Maritime Patrol Agency, Zhu Fengzhi said that the “inhumane practices” of the competent authorities Taiwanese “brutally chased away” fishing boats from the mainland taking shelter from the wind were infuriating.
Taiwan Continental Affairs Council spokesman Qiu Chuizheng said that if it was simply to prevent a typhoon, there had been precedent in providing humanitarian assistance in the past, but this time it was “to fish”, and the statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office ignored the facts.
Taiwanese executive Yuan Su Zhenchang said that Chinese ships mining sand illegally cross borders and steal sand from the sea are handled strictly according to the law.
The tension between Taiwan and China appears to be increasing recently. The United States has recently passed a case of arms sales to Taiwan and China has stated that it will “give an adequate and necessary response in accordance with the development of the situation.”
In addition, there have been several incidents of Chinese military aircraft “crossing the middle line of the strait” recently. The analyzes believe that whether it is Chinese military aircraft crossing the line or bypassing Taiwan, or Chinese ships operating across the border, they are all part of the “gray zone conflict” strategy. A strategy that has reached the threshold of the traditional military confrontation, but that can play a role of threat and intimidation.
