Taiwan says coast guard vessel in 'standoff' with China ship

Taiwan's coast guard said Sunday that one of its vessels was in a two-day "standoff" with a Chinese coast guard ship near Pratas, a disputed island in the northern part of the South China Sea.

The incident began on Saturday in the "restricted waters" of Pratas, also known as Dongsha, Taiwan's coast guard said in a statement.

Taiwan controls Pratas but Beijing also claims the island, along with most of the strategic waterway.

"The two sides engaged in an intense verbal confrontation over sovereignty via radio at sea" after the Taiwanese vessel, the Taichung, tried to expel the China Coast Guard (CCG) ship, the Taiwanese statement said.

According to the statement, a Chinese radio operator told the Taichung that CCG 3501 was on a "routine patrol mission" and to "not interfere with our actions".

The Taiwanese boat said: "'Your behaviour precisely proves that China's peace is a hoax, and the international community will not support you. Please do not destroy peace'," the statement said.

"Currently, the Taichung cutter remains on-scene in a standoff with CCG 3501," it added.

Several hours after issuing the statement, the Taiwan coast guard said the Chinese boat had "exited the restricted waters".

Taiwanese security officials said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific.

The deployment began before US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing and increased to more than 100 after the summit ended.

Trump has caused jitters in Taipei after suggesting US arms sales to Taiwan could be used as a bargaining chip with China, which claims the island is part of its territory and has threatened to seize it by force.

Since then, Taipei has insisted that it defends the status quo and that China is the "root cause" of instability in the region.