Taiwan coast guard takes foreign lawmakers near China

Taiwan's coast guard took foreign lawmakers on a patrol Thursday around Kinmen, islands controlled by Taipei that lie only a few kilometres from China.

The Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China posted photos and videos on X showing lawmakers on a Taiwanese coast guard vessel as it went around Kinmen. IPAC said it was the “first time ever” foreign legislators had joined a routine coast guard patrol in the Taiwan Strait.

The group listed seven foreign lawmakers from Britain, India, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and New Zealand, along with two legislators from Taiwan.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and asserts jurisdiction over the waters between China and the self-ruled island. Chinese coast guard ships regularly enter waters near Kinmen, which has long been a point of friction between Beijing and Taipei.

IPAC said the lawmakers had come to observe the situation firsthand. It said China’s actions threatened collective interests across the strait.