Taiwan's Coast Guard uses water cannon against Chinese fishing vessel near Dongsha Islands

Taiwan's Coast Guard used a water cannon to drive away at least one Chinese fishing vessel from waters near the Dongsha Islands, according to reports by Al Jazeera and the South China Morning Post (SCMP). The two outlets differ on how many boats were involved.

What is reported

According to the SCMP, citing Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA), the incident took place on 1 October, 27 nautical miles east of Dongsha Island. The newspaper says the agency disclosed it on Friday.

The SCMP reports that the CGA said in a statement that its patrol vessel Yunlin first sprayed water into the air for about 30 seconds as a warning. The vessel then directed its water cannon towards the wheelhouse of the fishing boat Jin Sha for about 90 seconds, according to the newspaper's account.

The SCMP describes Dongsha Island, also called Pratas Island, as Taiwanese-controlled and located in the South China Sea. The newspaper notes that 1 October, a Thursday, was China's National Day. Its report does not establish any link between the two.

Separately, according to the SCMP, the CGA detained two mainland Chinese fishing vessels near the Penghu Islands in the Taiwan Strait, one on Wednesday and one on Thursday, and arrested 14 crew members. The reports do not describe the circumstances of those detentions, the identities of the crew members or any connection to the Dongsha incident.

What is disputed

The number of vessels is unresolved. Al Jazeera's summary says two Chinese fishing boats were driven away. The SCMP describes one mainland Chinese vessel, named as the Jin Sha.

The date is also not fully clear. The SCMP's text gives 1 October, but its subheading can be read as placing the incident on Friday. Al Jazeera's summary gives no date.

What each side says

The CGA's position is known only through the SCMP's paraphrase of its statement: a warning spray into the air, followed by the water cannon directed at the Jin Sha's wheelhouse. The reports do not include the statement's verbatim text.

The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include any response or account from Chinese authorities, the vessel's owner or its crew.

What is not known

The reports do not say what the vessel or vessels were doing in the area, or what legal basis the CGA cited for expelling them. They do not say whether anyone was injured, whether any vessel was damaged, or whether the vessel or vessels left the area afterwards.

The sourcing is also limited. The SCMP attributes its account to the CGA, and Al Jazeera's summary does not state where its information came from. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not establish whether the two accounts are independent of each other.

Analysis

The only attributed account comes from one party, Taiwan's Coast Guard, as relayed by the SCMP; Al Jazeera's summary, which does not state its sourcing, gives a different vessel count. Without a Chinese response or the crew's version, the incident cannot be fully assessed. Several scenarios are possible: it may be treated as a routine maritime enforcement matter, or it may draw a public reaction from Beijing. The reports give no basis for judging which is more likely. The Penghu detentions in the same week may suggest a broader pattern of enforcement activity, but the reports establish no link. Key open questions are the number of vessels, the legal basis cited, and whether any damage or injury occurred.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.