China To Inspect Vessels In The Taiwan Strait, Taiwan Decides Not To Co-Operate

China’s Fujian maritime safety administration introduced a three-day special joint patrol and strict inspection mission in the northern and central parts of the Taiwan Strait that also includes moves to board its ships, it elaborated on its official account.

The move comes through during heightened tensions between Taiwan and China, with US House Speaker named Kevin McCarthy hosting Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday in California, becoming the most senior US figure to be meeting a Taiwanese leader in decades on US soil.

The maritime safety authority based in the southeastern Chinese province stated on Wednesday that the operation included on-site examinations on direct cargo and construction ships on either side of the Taiwan Strait to establish the safety and security of vessel navigation and further make sure the operations of key projects are taking place safely and orderly.

It further added that it has mentioned to shipping operators that if they face similar requests from China, they must refuse them and inform Taiwan’s coast guard to get assistance.

If the mainland side keeps insisting on one-sided actions, it will create obstacles to normal exchanges between the two sides. Corresponding measures will need to be taken then.

Areas that are covered by the operation span the Pingtan Taiwan direct container channel, the well-known “small three links” route, the customary route of Taiwan Strait, the densely navigable areas of fishing and commercial vessels, and areas that host illegal sand mining.

The “small three links” passenger channel refers to boat routes lying between Taiwan’s Matsu and Kinmen islands that lie opposite China and its cities.

The fleet, a special joint operation with the East China Sea Navigation Support Center and the East China Sea Rescue Bureau, is expected to continue conducting cruise inspections in the northern and central parts of the Taiwan Strait over two days.

Reference: India Today, Reuters