Taiwan's DPP warned over Dongsha Islands maritime standoff

A Chinese mainland spokeswoman on Wednesday warned Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities that they would bear full responsibility for any consequences arising from their provocations, in response to a recent maritime standoff in the waters around the Dongsha Islands.

At a regular news conference, Zhang Han, a spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said the Chinese mainland possesses sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands, including the Dongsha Islands and their adjacent waters.

She stressed that law enforcement patrols by the mainland's coast guard authorities in the relevant waters constitute the normal exercise of its official duties.

"Should the DPP authorities dare to provoke, they must bear all the consequences," Zhang added.

On Friday, a mainland coast guard vessel conducted patrol operations in the waters around the Dongsha Islands. The DPP authorities claimed that the vessel had entered the so-called restricted waters surrounding the islands, triggering a standoff between vessels from the two sides.