What Happened When Taiwan Confronted the Jin Sha Near Dongsha?

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration says its patrol vessel Yunlin used a water cannon to drive the Chinese fishing boat Jin Sha out of waters Taiwan designates as prohibited near Dongsha (Pratas) Island on Oct. 1. After the boat lost power while leaving, Yunlin towed it outside the restricted area and remained nearby until another Chinese vessel arrived to take it away. The encounter reflects wider maritime tensions, but there is no evidence in the available reporting that Jin Sha itself was a militia vessel. 910

How the encounter unfolded

Taiwan’s coast guard said it first detected an unidentified boat northeast of Dongsha at about 11 a.m. Later, at around 3 p.m., Yunlin found two Chinese fishing boats, Jin Sha and Yue Hui Dong Yu 75066, fishing about 27 nautical miles east of the island and inside Taiwan’s designated restricted waters. The other boat left after being ordered to depart; Jin Sha did not comply with repeated warnings. 3

According to the coast guard account reported by the South China Morning Post, Yunlin first sprayed water into the air as a warning for about 30 seconds, then directed the water cannon toward the Jin Sha’s wheelhouse for about 90 seconds. The boat then raised anchor and began leaving. 9

Engine failure, towing and handover

The Jin Sha lost power while departing, according to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration. Yunlin towed it out of the restricted waters and stayed with it until another Chinese vessel arrived to take over the tow. The reported sequence turned an expulsion into a safety and transfer operation; the coast guard account also said the patrol vessel assisted the boat after it lost power. 10

A wider pattern, with an important caveat

The Jin Sha encounter took place amid other reported fishing and coast-guard activity around Taiwan’s outlying islands. A May 2026 analysis described repeated Chinese Coast Guard entries into Dongsha’s restricted waters and frequent Chinese fishing-boat activity there; a later assessment noted patrols around Kinmen and other areas near Taiwan.

Some analysts have warned that fishing and other civilian vessels can be used for surveillance, harassment or to assert a presence at sea. That broader concern does not establish the role of any particular boat: the sources describing the Oct. 1 encounter identify Jin Sha as a fishing vessel, not as a maritime-militia vessel.

U.S.–Taiwan defense ties are another part of the regional security backdrop, but they are separate from this incident. A Congressional Research Service overview describes the relationship as unofficial and covering arms transfers, defense dialogue and planning, and military training. The available sources do not show a direct connection between those ties and the Jin Sha encounter.