In News:

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) recently repelled both a Chinese coast guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near the Dongsha Islands (Pratas Islands), highlighting escalating tensions in the South China Sea and the strategic significance of the region.

Key Highlights:

These confrontations coincided with China’s announcement of a national nature reserve at Scarborough Shoal, a territory also claimed by Taiwan and the Philippines. While Beijing described it as a conservation initiative, analysts view it as part of China’s broader strategy to assert control over disputed areas.

Taiwan condemned the repeated incursions, labeling them “grey zone tactics”—persistent, low-intensity actions aimed at exerting pressure without provoking direct military conflict. The CGA reaffirmed its commitment to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty, pledging ongoing patrols and surveillance in the Dongsha region.

About the Dongsha Islands:

• Located in the northern South China Sea, ~445 km southwest of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and 320 km southeast of Hong Kong.
• Governed by Taiwan and staffed by marines, with no permanent civilian residents.
• Comprised of three formations: Dongsha Island (above sea level) and Northern and Southern Vereker atolls (below sea level).
• Circular coral atoll structure: reef flats span 24 km in diameter, enclosing a 16 km lagoon; Dongsha Island itself is ~1.6 km long and 0.8 km wide.

The incidents underscore the fragile security balance in the South China Sea, where overlapping territorial claims, strategic maritime routes, and China’s assertive posture pose ongoing regional challenges. Taiwan’s proactive coastal defense measures reflect its determination to safeguard administered territories.