Pratas Islands standoff escalated after a Chinese coast guard ship entered waters near the Taiwan-controlled atoll before withdrawing following a tense confrontation.
A Chinese coast guard vessel withdrew from waters near Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands on Sunday after a tense two-day maritime standoff with Taiwan’s coast guard, in the latest sign of rising friction in the South China Sea.
According to Reuters, the confrontation unfolded near the Pratas Islands, a remote atoll administered by Taiwan and located between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, after Taiwanese authorities detected a Chinese coast guard ship moving towards the area on Saturday.
Taiwan’s Coast Guard said it dispatched one of its own vessels and issued radio warnings, leading to what it described as an “intense verbal confrontation over sovereignty” between the two sides. The Chinese vessel later sailed away on Sunday afternoon, Taiwan said.
Reuters reported that the Chinese ship broadcast that it was carrying out a routine mission and asserted China’s “sovereignty and jurisdiction” over the Pratas. Taiwan responded over the radio, rejecting Beijing’s claim and warning the ship to leave the area.
Why the Pratas Islands matter
The Pratas Islands have increasingly drawn strategic attention because of their location at the northern edge of the South China Sea. Security analysts view the islands as particularly sensitive because they lie more than 400 km from Taiwan’s main island and are lightly defended, with Taiwan’s coast guard, rather than the military, responsible for security there.
The incident comes amid heightened cross-strait tensions. Reuters noted that Taiwan has remained on alert over possible Chinese action after recent discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump touched on Taiwan.
Taiwan’s coast guard also said it had earlier this month driven away the Chinese research vessel Tongji from waters near the Pratas for the second time. In January, Taiwan reported that a Chinese reconnaissance drone briefly flew over the islands, an episode Taipei described as provocative.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, a position rejected by Taipei. Beijing has steadily increased military and coast guard activity around the island in recent years, with Taiwan warning that the pressure now extends beyond the Taiwan Strait into surrounding waters including the South China Sea.
