Taiwan uses water cannon on Chinese boat, then helps tow it

SharpPost Editorial Team | October 2, 2026

Taiwan's coast guard said on Friday it used a water cannon to drive off a Chinese fishing boat near Dongsha Island, then helped tow the vessel after it lost power while leaving the area. A Chinese support vessel took over the tow early Friday.

The confrontation took place on Thursday near the Taiwan-controlled island in the South China Sea. At about 3 p.m., the patrol vessel Yunlin found two Chinese fishing boats, Yue Hui Dong Yu 75066 and Jin Sha, anchored and fishing 27 nautical miles east of Dongsha, according to the Coast Guard Administration's account reported by CNA. The agency said they were eight nautical miles inside a restricted zone designated by Taiwan.

Yue Hui Dong Yu 75066 weighed anchor and left, but Jin Sha remained. Yunlin issued three radio warnings over 17 minutes, Taiwan's Public Television Service reported. Ocean Affairs Council head Kuan Bi-ling said the coast guard escalated its response in stages after Jin Sha refused to leave.

According to the agency's account carried by CNA's Chinese-language service, Yunlin first sprayed water into the air for 30 seconds from about 200 metres away. When that failed, it moved closer and directed the water cannon at Jin Sha's wheelhouse for 90 seconds. The coast guard said it avoided people on deck and stopped spraying once the boat began to leave.

Jin Sha then lost power. Yunlin sent a small boat to check on those aboard and remained nearby. The coast guard said everyone was safe; its account did not identify the cause of the breakdown.

At about 8 p.m., Yunlin delivered 35 hot meals at the fishing boat's request before starting the tow, the agency said. It brought Jin Sha outside the restricted zone at about 11 p.m. and waited for another vessel to arrive. The Chinese support vessel Hai Yang Shi You 681 took over at 6:15 a.m. Friday.

The incident came as Taiwan strengthened patrols around Dongsha. In a September 23 statement, the coast guard said work on the island's pier had been completed and accepted on July 1. A new 100-ton patrol boat had been stationed there, with larger patrol ships also operating regularly in surrounding waters.

The agency said it had seized nine Chinese small boats in eight cases near Dongsha this year, as of September 23. Since February 2025, it has impounded small boats caught operating illegally there and confiscated equipment, replacing its earlier practice of driving them away. It said the measures were intended to curb illegal fishing and protect the marine ecosystem of Dongsha Atoll National Park.