Taiwan Tracks Two Coast Guard Ships After Eastern Patrol Announcement
Taiwan said it was monitoring two Chinese coast guard ships east of the island late on October 31, after Beijing announced another patrol there. Reuters reported China’s description of routine law enforcement, while United Daily News reported Taiwan’s response shortly before midnight. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration identified the Chinese vessels as Hushi, numbered 1308, and Meishan, numbered 2303, and said its Ji’an and other ships were tracking them. The administration accused Chinese crews of using radio communications to harass passing vessels and rejected Beijing’s jurisdictional claims. Those remain attributed allegations, not independently verified encounters. China’s spokesperson said patrols would continue in waters Beijing claims to administer. The material overnight update is the identified ships and Taiwan’s monitoring response to this particular patrol, rather than a repeat of earlier maritime disputes. Neither report establishes that a blockade has begun, that commercial navigation was stopped, or that the vessels entered territorial waters.