Taiwan upgrades maritime patrol capacity for vulnerable South China Sea outpost

Taiwan has upgraded its maritime patrol capacity around the Pratas Islands in the disputed South China Sea, including regularly sending larger ships there, the government said, responding to an increase in Chinese activities.



China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects. China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island over the past five years.



Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands are seen by security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than 400 km (250 miles) — from Taiwan.



In a statement late on Wednesday, Taiwan's Coast Guard said its overall patrol and enforcement capacity in Pratas waters has been "comprehensively upgraded".



With the completion of a wharf project in July, a newly-built 100-tonne-class patrol boat has been formally stationed at Pratas, "significantly enhancing nearshore patrol capabilities and immediate mobile response capacity", it added.



Additionally, large patrol vessels are being regularly deployed to patrol waters around Pratas, demonstrating "strong multi-layered deterrence and mobile enforcement capabilities".