A Taiwanese Coast Guard vessel patrols along the Kinmen-Xiamen water passage, near the maritime boundary between Taiwan and China. (EPA Images pic)BEIJING: Taiwan must "bear the consequences" of its Coast Guard using a water cannon against a Chinese fishing boat near an atoll in the South China Sea, a Chinese government spokesperson said on Wednesday.
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship this month fired its water cannon, saying the boat failed to respond to warnings to move away from restricted waters close to the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
The boat then suffered engine failure and was towed away by a nearby Chinese vessel, Taiwan's Coast Guard said.
Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, said China has "indisputable sovereignty" over the Pratas and surrounding waters.
