Taiwan Says China Harassing Shipping With East Coast Patrol

TAIPEI, Nov 1 (Reuters) – China’s Coast Guard is harassing shipping with its latest patrol off Taiwan’s east coast and trying to exert a fictional jurisdiction, the Taiwanese Coast Guard said, adding it had sent its own ships to keep watch.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has stepped up activity off the island’s east coast since June with regular coast guard patrols. Officials in Taiwan, which rejects Beijing’s sovereignty ?claims, say they believe China is practicing for a potential maritime blockade using overlapping military, paramilitary and civilian assets.

Taipei regards the area off its east ?coast as critical to wartime supply routes from allies in the