TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) condemned online reports from China that falsely portrayed law enforcement activities of the Coast Guard’s frigate, the Lianjiang.
A video clip produced with footage from a Chinese naval ship deceptively edited two separate incidents involving the Lianjiang over the past week. The video and audio were edited to make it appear as though the Chinese ship disrupted the Lianjiang’s law enforcement activities in the Taiwan Strait, reported CNA.
The Lianjiang conducted patrol duties in waters near Penghu from Sept. 12 through Sept. 14 and confronted several Chinese fishing vessels. The Yuenanao No. 31067 fishing vessel was spotted approximately 26 nautical miles southwest of Penghu’s Mudou Island and was promptly driven away.
Separately, on Sept. 13 and Sept. 14, the Lianjiang encountered the PLAN ship No. 645. The Lianjiang coordinated with the Taiwan navy during the encounters to monitor the activity of the Chinese ship.
The PLAN ship was spotted approximately 28 nautical miles northwest of Mudou island and was broadcasting warning messages and propaganda over its loudspeaker.
The CGA emphasized that the encounters with the Yuenanao and the PLAN ship occurred at different times and locations. However, the clip circulating online attempts to frame the two encounters as a single incident in which the Chinese navy confronts the Lianjiang to support the Yuenanao’s illegal fishing activities.
Seeking to clarify the matter, the CGA strongly condemns China’s attempt at cognitive warfare and the false assertion that the PLAN disrupted the Lianjiang’s lawful patrol activities in the Taiwan Strait. The coast guard calls on the Chinese side to refrain from illegally entering Taiwan’s territorial waters in the future.
