Taiwan Upgrades Maritime Patrol Capacity for Vulnerable South China Sea Outpost

TAIPEI, Sept 24 (Reuters) – Taiwan has upgraded its maritime patrol capacity around the Pratas Islands in the disputed South China Sea, including regularly sending larger ships there, the government said, responding to an increase in Chinese activities.

China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects. China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island over the past five years.

Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands are seen by security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more