{"id":2505,"date":"2026-07-09T18:30:41","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:30:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2505"},"modified":"2026-07-09T18:30:41","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:30:41","slug":"taiwan-pushes-back-at-china-patrols-with-coast-guard-trip-for-foreign-lawmakers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=2505","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan pushes back at China patrols with Coast Guard trip for foreign lawmakers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-article-body=\"true\" data-body-type=\"bodyblocks\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">By Ben Blanchard and Yi-Chin Lee<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">ON BOARD THE TAIWAN COAST GUARD SHIP PP-10081, Taiwan Strait, July 9 (Reuters) &#8211; Taiwan&#8217;s government took a small group of foreign lawmakers on a Coast Guard ship around sensitive Taiwan-controlled islands next to the Chinese coast on Thursday, pushing back against China&#8217;s Coast Guard whose patrols have angered Taipei.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">China views democratically \u200cgoverned Taiwan as its own territory and recognises no claims of sovereignty or maritime jurisdiction by Taipei.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In 2024, China&#8217;s Coast Guard began regular patrols around Taiwan&#8217;s Kinmen islands, which face \u200cChina&#8217;s Xiamen and Quanzhou cities, following the death of two Chinese nationals fleeing Taiwan&#8217;s Coast Guard after entering restricted waters.<\/p>\n<nav aria-labelledby=\"_R_1iihlhl8b4lubsnqq5b_\" class=\"my-6 flex flex-col gap-4 rounded-xl bg-secondary p-4\">\n<div class=\"flex items-center gap-2\"><default:svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" fill=\"none\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-5 shrink-0\"><default:g clip-path=\"url(#purpleStar_svg__a)\"><default:path fill=\"#7D2EFF\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M7.201 2.56C8.51 1.138 9.621-.271 10.595.046c.974.318 1.038 2.11 1.255 4.03.135 1.198.7 2.31 1.59 3.126 1.424 1.308 2.832 2.42 2.515 3.394-.318.973-2.11 1.039-4.03 1.255-1.198.134-2.31.7-3.126 1.59-1.308 1.423-2.42 2.832-3.393 2.515-.974-.317-1.04-2.11-1.256-4.03A5 5 0 0 0 2.56 8.8C1.138 7.49-.271 6.379.046 5.405s2.109-1.039 4.03-1.256A5 5 0 0 0 7.2 2.561m-.156 6.78a1 1 0 0 0-.988.993c0 .535.408.96.955.96s.987-.45.988-.994a.937.937 0 0 0-.955-.96m1.102-4.157L6.59 8.973H8.33l1.559-3.79z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><default:path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M7.045 9.34c.547 0 .954.416.955.96 0 .543-.441.993-.988.993a.94.94 0 0 1-.955-.96c0-.535.441-.993.988-.993M9.89 5.183l-1.56 3.79H6.59l1.558-3.79z\"\/><\/default:g><default:defs><default:clippath id=\"purpleStar_svg__a\"><default:path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M0 0h16v16H0z\"\/><\/default:clippath><\/default:defs><\/default:svg><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"_R_1iihlhl8b4lubsnqq5b_\" class=\"text-primary headline-s-emphasized\">Go deeper with Yahoo Scout<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/nav>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Since last month, China&#8217;s Coast Guard has also patrolled in waters off Taiwan&#8217;s east coast in what it said was a &#8220;law enforcement&#8221; \u200boperation &#8211; a move that sparked concern in the U.S., Britain, France and Germany, and infuriated Taipei.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On board the Taiwan Coast Guard ship PP-10081 for a 90-minute tour in waters around the Kinmen islands were seven foreign lawmakers and two Taiwanese members of parliament.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The trip, believed to be the first of its kind, underscores Taiwan&#8217;s efforts to draw international attention to the dispute at a time when China&#8217;s expanding maritime patrols are testing Taiwan&#8217;s ability to defend its waters and raising alarm among some Western governments.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The PP-10081 is one of several 100-ton patrol ships stationed in Kinmen. It did not carry any weapons on deck, and the crew were \u200cnot visibly armed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Encounters between Taiwanese and Chinese Coast Guard vessels around Kinmen \u2060are typically limited to radio exchanges and verbal warnings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Britain&#8217;s Tom Tugendhat, a former security minister and a strident China critic, told Reuters on the boat that being there was an important show of support for Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I&#8217;m in Taiwan. I&#8217;m in Taiwanese waters. This has nothing to do with Beijing. This is to do \u2060with simply defending the international rules-based system that the Chinese government in Beijing claims to have signed up to,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Joining him were two other British lawmakers, as well as one each from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, India and New Zealand, all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. They were on a trip organised by Taiwan&#8217;s foreign ministry and the Ocean Affairs Council, which runs the Coast Guard.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Asked about the trip, China&#8217;s foreign ministry \u200bsaid \u200bBeijing firmly opposes lawmakers from countries that have diplomatic ties with China making &#8220;sneaky visits&#8221; to Taiwan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;The so-called alliance you \u200bmentioned has &#8230; spread lies and rumours concerning China, and has no credibility whatsoever,&#8221; \u200cthe ministry said in a statement, referring to the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">KINMEN ON THE &#8216;FRONT LINE&#8217;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tsai Chung-mou, deputy director of the Taiwan Coast Guard&#8217;s Fleet Branch, told Reuters the government hoped the trip would help the international community get a better idea of the pressure Taiwan was facing from China.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;We hope that all countries around the world that support freedom and democracy can understand that Kinmen stands on the front line of the Taiwan Strait, facing the Chinese Communist Party,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While no Chinese Coast Guard vessels appeared during the tour, Taiwan&#8217;s Coast Guard said Chinese ships had conducted one of their regular incursions into Kinmen waters the previous day.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The vessel sailed around the northern coast of Kinmen, giving the lawmakers a clear view of China just a few kilometres (miles) away, including Xiamen&#8217;s new airport, which Taiwan \u200csays China has failed to provide safety information for given it is so close to Kinmen&#8217;s airport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">LESSONS FROM UKRAINE<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Ukrainian \u200blawmaker Yulia Sirko said there were many parallels between the situation Taiwan was facing with China, and Ukraine, which Russia invaded \u200bin 2022.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;And these lessons consist of, first of all, that if you want peace, start \u200bpreparing for war. And unfortunately, we didn&#8217;t do it in the right time, so this is lesson number one from the Ukrainian experience,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Taiwan has controlled \u200cKinmen, along with the Matsu islands which sit further up the Chinese coast, \u200bsince the defeated Republic of China government fled \u200bto Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong&#8217;s Communists.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">While Taiwan&#8217;s Coast Guard does not go outside of Taiwan-controlled waters around Kinmen, China&#8217;s Coast Guard does enter those same waters on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The last serious attempt by China to take Kinmen by force was in 1958 during what is generally referred to as the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis. \u200bChina&#8217;s almost daily firing of artillery at the Kinmen and Matsu islands \u200cended only in 1979.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Today Kinmen is a popular tourist destination and there are regular ferry services to China, though Taiwan retains a heavy military presence.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">China&#8217;s government refuses to speak \u200bto Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, saying he is a &#8220;separatist&#8221;. Lai says only Taiwan&#8217;s people can decide their future and that Beijing has no right to claim the island \u200bor represent it on the international stage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Ros Russell)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Ben Blanchard and Yi-Chin Lee ON BOARD THE TAIWAN COAST GUARD SHIP PP-10081, Taiwan Strait, July 9 (Reuters) &#8211; Taiwan&#8217;s government took a small group of foreign lawmakers on a Coast Guard ship around sensitive Taiwan-controlled islands next to the Chinese coast on Thursday, pushing back against China&#8217;s Coast Guard whose patrols have angered&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/lo\/mysterio\/api\/b33d24428873a6b511ce4ea6f5bbd6ba8d984d7c303c89db394fcf659a0e3be7\/lightyear_networkapi\/resizefill_w800_h533;quality_80;format_webp\/https:%2F%2Fmedia.zenfs.com%2Fen%2Freuters.com%2F8046b7991021cc6c80c73041a1767a58","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2505"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2505\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}