Coast guard monitoring Chinese vessels east of Taiwan

By Yimou Lee and Liz Lee / Reuters, TAIPEI and BEIJING Add TT as Preferred Source The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it was closely monitoring Chinese coast guard patrols in waters east of Taiwan, condemning the move as a political operation aimed at expanding Beijing’s control.The China Coast Guard said in a statement that the patrols were led by one of its ships, the Xiushan (秀山), and it would continue to strengthen such efforts.“Since July, the Xiushan task group had been strengthening control over the relevant waters to effectively ensure orderly navigation and activities,” China Coast Guard spokesman Jiang Lue (姜略) said. The patrol boat Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard Administration This is to safeguard the legitimate and