Image for representation purposes only Taiwan’s coast guard said that its vessels ‘expelled’ 4 chinese naval ships from its waters after the two parties engaged in broadcast warnings, regarding each other’s maritime claims in the Taiwan Strait. Beijing, which claims Taiwan to be a part of its territory, sent its ships to carry out a ‘special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation’ in the waters east of Taiwan in response to Japan and the Philippines’ announcement about starting formal negotiations to delimit their maritime boundaries or Exclusive Economic Zones. According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard, 4 Chinese ships, including 3 coast guard vessels, had sailed on Sunday afternoon into its waters, 30 nm southwest of the island’s southern end. In response, it sent 7 coast guard ships to warn the Chinese vessels. The Taiwan Coast Guard also made public the recording of the Chinese warning to Taiwanese ships. In the audio recording, an unidentified Chinese officer says, “These are waters under Chinese jurisdiction. Our maritime law enforcement formation is carrying out a special traffic law enforcement mission in the waters of the Taiwan Strait. Do not interfere with our official duties.” A Taiwanese coast guard officer replies that China does not have any “sovereign rights” in the waters east of Taiwan. “If conflict occurs, your side will face sanctions from the world. Only maritime stability can ensure your country’s development,” the Taiwanese officer added. In the past few weeks, Taiwan has reported a massive increase in Chinese Ship sightings around the Pratas Islands in the contested South China Sea. Despite warnings, China’s Navy regularly operates around Taiwanese waters in the garb of conducting patrols. “The PRC is nothing but a big fat bully,” Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu wrote on his X account on Sunday, referring to China.