The China Coast Guard conducted law enforcement patrols in the waters surrounding the Taiwan island on Tuesday.
The patrols are a practical action to lawfully enforce control over the Taiwan island in accordance with the one-China principle.
"The patrol ship of China's Taiwan: I'm China Coast Guard Vessel 1303. The future of Taiwan lies in national reunification, and the well-being of the Taiwan compatriots is related to the rejuvenation of the nation. Seeking Taiwan secession is a dead end and engaging in military confrontation leads nowhere. Please do not misjudge the situation, or you will backfire and end up in ashes," said He Junbin, a China Coast Guard officer with Vessel 1303, in communicating with a patrol ship from the Taiwan region of China, which was sailing within a sight distance from Vessel 1303 at the time.
As part of the action, the China Coast Guard's Fujian branch, based in east China's Fujian Province opposite the Taiwan island, organized a formation of vessels to conduct comprehensive law enforcement patrols in the waters near the Dongyin and Wuqiu islands. It carried out drills focusing on exercises including verification and identification, boarding and inspection as well as control and expulsion, to test the crew's rapid response and emergency response capabilities.
China Coast Guard conducts law enforcement patrols around Taiwan island
The Sudan conflict now in its fourth year has pushed millions into poverty, even forcing some families to rely on animal fodder to survive.
Fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted in April 2023, following months of escalating tensions between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief and head of Sudan's ruling council, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the RSF commander and al-Burhan's former deputy.
Nearly 6.9 million Sudanese were pushed into extreme poverty in 2023 alone, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Currently, around 70 percent of the population are estimated to live in poverty in the country, compared with 38 percent before the war, said UNDP Resident Representative in Sudan Luca Renda.
At the Tawila Camp in North Darfur State, Salha Musa, a displaced widow from El Fasher, is struggling to provide her six children with minimal resources.
Water is available from wells, but other essential services are absent. Inflation and scarcity have forced families to rely on unconventional foods. Everyday staples have disappeared from local markets, leaving vulnerable families at risk of malnutrition.
"Since we arrived in Tawila a month ago, we've been suffering from a severe lack of services, except for water, which we draw from wells. We have no other services here, and we desperately need assistance. Our children aren't receiving an education, and I'm a nurse, but I can't find work," said Salha.
The UNDP warns that Sudan's economy has collapsed under the weight of the ongoing conflict, with GDP falling sharply and more than 13 million people displaced. Extreme poverty rates now surpass those of the 1980s.
"Life is incredibly difficult for us poor people. If we don't have money, what are we supposed to do? Will we starve to death? After the price of corn flour became so high, we stopped buying it. I don't know why they're raising prices or hoarding goods. Flour has completely disappeared from the markets here. After that, flour became expensive and unavailable," said Summia Ahmed, another displaced woman from El Fasher, adding that her family has even started relying on "Ombaz", a kind of animal fodder, as their food.
UNDP projections show that peace could lift millions out of extreme poverty, but delays and continued conflict risk locking the country into decades of low growth and deprivation.
For families like Salha's and Summia's, the road ahead remains uncertain, as conflict continues to dictate daily survival in Sudan.
Sudan conflict pushes millions into poverty
