Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has said that it had dispatched a Coast Guard vessel on Wednesday to expel two Chinese coast guard ships intruding into Taiwan-controlled waters off Dongsha Island in the South China Sea.

In a statement, the CGA Dongsha-Nansha Branch said that Chinese coast guard vessel 3105 was detected entering Taiwan’s jurisdictional waters around Dongsha Island, about 25 nautical miles south off Dongsha island at 12:50 a.m. Wednesday, the Taipei Times reported.

Taiwanese vessel Hsun Hu No. 8, which was patrolling at that time, was dispatched to respond to the situation.

As Hsun Hu No. 8 approached to monitor vessel 3105 at 1:17 a.m., another Chinese coast guard ship, 3103, was detected 22 nautical miles southwest off Dongsha Island," the news portal reported.

It was also warned to leave the area.

The two Chinese vessels left the waters at around 11:35 a.m., with the Hsun Hu No. 8 monitoring their movements throughout, the CGA told Taipei Times.

The CGA said the Chinese vessel did not turn on its automatic identification systems for ship tracking, attempting to hide their trails.

The administration told Taipei Times that it does not rule out the possibility that the vessels were testing Taiwan’s maritime deployment and trying to deplete the CGA’s law enforcement resources during the ongoing annual Han Kuang military drills.