Taiwan accuses four Chinese maritime police ships of entering restricted waters

Taiwan's Coast Guard has accused four Chinese maritime police ships of entering a "restricted navigation area" near the Matsu Islands, the agency said in a statement.

According to the department, four Chinese maritime police vessels - numbered 14607, 14517, 14602, and 14509 - passed in pairs through restricted waters 3.2 nautical miles (about 5.9 kilometers) west of Nangan Island and the same distance northwest of Dongyin Island. Four coast guard motorboats were dispatched to escort them out of the area.

The agency added that Chinese maritime police ships have entered waters restricted to navigation by the Taiwanese authorities at least 44 times this year.

The Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands are located in the northern part of the Taiwan Strait. The minimum distance from the archipelago to the coast of mainland China is about 20 kilometers.