China Coast Guard Patrols Taiwan-Held Atoll in South China Sea — SkimNews
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- China's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Oct 21 that coast guard vessels were 'safeguarding order' around the Pratas Islands, with spokesperson Zhang Han calling the patrols lawful and asserting 'indisputable sovereignty' over the atoll and adjacent waters.
- Taiwan reported two incidents since Oct 18 of Chinese coast guard vessels approaching the Pratas and accused Beijing of provocative behavior, days after Taiwan's coast guard used a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near the atoll.
- Chiu Chui-cheng, head of Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, said Beijing is trying to 'domesticate' the Taiwan issue to 'create an illusion of having de facto jurisdiction' over Taiwan's surrounding waters and offshore islands.
- Chiu warned that with Xi Jinping expected to secure a fourth term in 2027, Beijing's Taiwan policy will shift toward an 'exercising jurisdiction before achieving unification' strategy of more aggressive 'law enforcement' patrols.
- The Pratas Islands have no permanent civilian population and lie more than 400km from southern Taiwan, a distance security experts cited by Reuters said leaves them vulnerable to Chinese action.
Why it matters: The Pratas sit more than 400km from southern Taiwan — too far for easy reinforcement — making them a low-cost test case for Beijing's coast guard to normalize control before Xi Jinping's expected 2027 fourth term. Chiu Chui-cheng explicitly framed the patrols as Beijing's attempt to manufacture de facto jurisdiction by attrition rather than force.
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