TAIPEI, Nov 3: Taiwanese navy and coast guard vessels chased away a Chinese spy ship in the island’s territorial waters after fresh warnings China has expanded naval operations against Taiwan, officials said Sunday.

After a tip-off from fishermen, a Lafayette-class frigate from the navy and patrol boats from the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) rushed to the scene after “Xiangyanghong No. 14” was detected some nine kilometres off Lanyu, an island southeast of Taiwan, the CGA said.

“We have adopted due procedure to make sure the ship leaves our territorial waters,” a CGA spokesman told AFP.

CGA records showed it was the third time the ship had crossed into Taiwan’s territorial waters this year.

The unarmed 2,894-tonne Chinese navigation vessel was last detected and driven away from Lanyu October 10.

The vessel also sailed into Taiwan’s turf in May, some 25 nautical miles off Chiupeng base, where most of Taiwan’s missile tests have been conducted.

Taiwan’s armed forces were, at that time, conducting the “Hankuang 18” (Han Glory) exercise, the year’s biggest military exercise to test reforms of the military command structure.

Taiwan defence minister Tang Yao-ming, in surprise testimony to parliament last week, said a Chinese destroyer from the North Sea fleet recently sailed through the waters east of Taiwan to join a wargame in the South China Sea.

Chinese warships usually sailed past the Taiwan Strait for similar missions.

Local military analysts regarded the rare sailing as a flexing of marine muscle by the Chinese navy, which is fast-modernising its fleets after obtaining advanced Kilo-class submarines and Modern-class destroyers from Russia.

Tang urged parliament to approve the navy’s controversial plan to purchase four second-hand Kidd-class destroyers from the United States.

Taiwanese officials normally remain tightlipped over Chinese wargames near the island for fear of sparking public panic.

Taiwan and China, which split at the end of a civil war in 1949, are still technically at war despite opening civil contacts in 1987.—AFP