China announces efforts to 'safeguard order' around Pratas islands

Let's move on. Now the South China Sea has once again emerged as a major flashpoint with China announcing efforts to safeguard order around Taiwan-controlled Paracel Islands. Well, the move brings renewed attention to the simmering tensions between Beijing and Taipei as Chinese authorities assert their presence in the strategically sensitive waters. Since the 18th of October, Taiwan has reported two incidents of Chinese Coast Guard vessels approaching the Paracels, accusing Beijing of provocative behavior. The development comes a week after China warned Taiwan that it must bear the consequences of its coast guard using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near the islands. The dispute centers on the Pratas Islands, which is located roughly 400 kilometers southwest of Taiwan. Though uninhabited by civilians, the islands are a strategic Taiwan-controlled coral atoll located in the northern part of the South China Sea. It sits directly at the maritime choke point between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. This location allows whoever controls it to monitor naval movements and air traffic passing through the Taiwan Strait. Amid the tensions, China's Taiwan Affairs Office has reasserted Beijing's undisputable sovereignty of the South China Sea islands, including the Pratas and their adjacent waters. Taipei has accused Beijing of stepping up coordinated coast guard and research vessel patrols to create a false impression of Chinese jurisdiction over Taiwan-controlled waters. Earlier this month, Taiwan's coast guard had responded to Chinese fishing activity near the Pratas Islands. The Taiwanese coast guard's 4,000-ton Yanlin patrol vessel had detected and intercepted two Chinese fishing boats operating inside Taiwan's restricted waters. According to the Taiwanese Coast Guard, one boat had left after being warned, while the other refused repeated radio orders to depart. After three unsuccessful warnings, the Taiwan patrol vessel had used a water cannon to drive the boat away. Well, in recent times, Taiwan has become increasingly alarmed by Beijing's use of its Coast Guard to carry out what it calls law enforcement patrols to try to assert jurisdiction. The Taiwan Strait has also seen routine incursions by Chinese jets, which Taipei sees as part of Beijing's broader design to bring the island under its control. Over the years, China has rejected Taiwan's sovereignty and vowed to reunify the island by force.