Taiwan's navy on Tuesday chased away a Chinese coast guard vessel that drifted into waters near its islands, a day after an incident between a Taiwanese tourist boat and the Chinese coast guard.
The Taiwanese coast guard announced that a Chinese coast guard vessel had entered Taiwanese waters, adding that it had called a navy vessel into service and used radio transmissions to repel the Chinese vessel, which left an hour later.
Taiwan's coast guard said it would continue to use radars and conduct patrols to ensure “harmony and security” near the waters of the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands, which lie off China's coast.
Taiwan, which China claims as its territory despite rejecting the island, has been wary of Beijing's efforts to increase pressure on Taipei after last month's presidential election. Taiwan elected Mr. Lai Ching-te as the country's president, whom Beijing considers a dangerous separatist.
China announced on Sunday that its coast guard will begin regular patrols and conduct law enforcement activities around the Kinmen Islands, following the deaths of two Chinese nationals who entered Taiwanese waters too close to the Kinmen Islands.
The Kinmen Islands are located near the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou and have been controlled by Taipei since the defeated government of the Republic of China settled in Taiwan in 1949 after losing the war with Mao Zedong's communists, who established the People's Republic of China.