Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities must bear full responsibility for any consequences arising from their provocations, said Zhang Han, spokeswoman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a press conference in Beijing on Wednesday.
At a regular news conference, Zhang said the Chinese mainland possesses sovereignty over the South China Sea Islands, including the Dongsha Islands and their adjacent waters.
"Law enforcement patrols by the mainland's coast guard authorities in the relevant waters constitute the normal exercise of its official duties. If the DPP authorities dare to provoke trouble, they must bear all the consequences arising from it," the spokeswoman said. A mainland coast guard vessel conducted patrol operations in the waters around the Dongsha Islands on Friday. 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.
Taiwan's DPP warned over Dongsha Islands maritime standoff
