Taiwan’s defense minister dismissed China’s complaints on Friday regarding a collision between a Taiwanese navy vessel and a Chinese trawler in the Taiwan Strait, emphasizing that military drills would proceed as planned. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had condemned the Taiwanese landing ship’s actions as “wicked” after the incident near Taichung on Thursday. However, Taiwan asserted that the collision did not occur in restricted waters.

“The Taiwan Affairs Office always makes such statements,” Defense Minister Wellington Koo told reporters at parliament. “We will continue conducting the drills as necessary.” When asked if the Chinese trawler was spying on Taiwan’s naval activities, Koo stated it was unlikely for such a vessel to gather detailed military intelligence.

China announced its own investigation into the incident, which took place on Taiwan’s side of the median line—a maritime boundary that Beijing does not acknowledge. Taiwan’s coast guard is also investigating, with Koo refraining from speculating on responsibility or causes. The collision resulted in no casualties.

The Taiwan Strait sees regular military activity from both China and Taiwan, though both sides usually maintain a safe distance, avoiding direct conflict for decades. Chieh Chung, a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight in Taipei, suggested that China could use the incident to justify crossing the median line and deploying coast guard ships to protect its fishermen, reinforcing its jurisdictional claims. He urged Taiwan’s national security agencies to take the situation seriously. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, has increased military exercises near the island in recent years. Taiwan, in turn, rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims and frequently criticizes China’s pressure tactics.

This week, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office released a list of alleged “separatists” based on reports sent to a designated email address but did not specify the sources of these reports. Taiwan’s Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang, who topped the list, dismissed the matter, saying she was too busy to pay attention. “Our friends at the Taiwan Affairs Office have been quite rude to our officials,” she remarked. China has previously encouraged citizens to submit reports on what it calls Taiwan’s “separatist” activities.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Alarabiya.