Taiwan says it drove away 16 Chinese vessels involved in coordinated maritime operations

19 October 2026

Taiwan's coastguard said in a statement on Sunday that it confronted and drove away 16 Chinese vessels, including coastguard, research and fishing ships, taking part in simultaneous maritime harassment operations. Four of the 16 were fishing boats, and some vessels entered Taiwan's restricted waters. The operations targeted Taiwan's main island and Pratas, also known as Dongsha, to the southwest. The coastguard called the operations hybrid warfare and said Beijing was trying to create a false impression of jurisdiction over the waters. Earlier, on October 1, the Taiwanese coastguard used water cannon against a Chinese recreational fishing vessel near Pratas. Taiwanese official data recorded a record 244 Chinese coastguard, research and other ships around the main island in July, against 58 in the same month a year earlier, and 152 vessels in the first 21 days of August.