The Taiwanese Navy said that a landing ship of the Taiwanese Navy and a Chinese fishing vessel collided outside restricted waters early Thursday morning. There were no injuries.
Chung Ho collided with Minlianyu 61756, a Chinese trawler, shortly after midnight, 45 nautical miles away from Taiwan’s Taichung port (located on the Taiwan Strait), and nine nautical mile outside “restricted water”, according to a navy statement.
The navy said that neither ship suffered any injuries and that the damage did not compromise “safety in navigation”.
The navy did not provide any further details, but said that an investigation would be launched to determine the responsible party.
Taiwan Strait is a site of daily Chinese military activities. Both sides maintain a respectable distance, and there hasn’t been an exchange of fire in decades.
In recent years, China has increased its military exercises around the island, claiming democratically governed Taiwan to be its territory.
Taiwan’s government has rejected China’s claims of sovereignty.