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CGA commissions new ship with 40mm gunThe China Post news staff TAIPEI, Taiwan -- The Coast Guard has commissioned a new vessel equipped with a 40mm gun, and will have the ship conduct a live-fire drill this week, a report said yesterday, amid mounting tensions over the disputed Diaoyutais in the East China Sea.
January 27, 2013, 12:04 am TWN The “Xin Bei” will set sail from Kaohsiung's Tsoying naval base for its first trial voyage tomorrow, and will test its gun later this week, the United Evening News said. The canon has a maximum firing range of 12,000 meters and can fire 300 rounds of ammunition per minute. The Coast Guard is responsible for patrolling the nation's territorial waters, which in theory include those around the Diaoyutais, a group of small uninhabited islands claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan. Japan currently has effective control over the islands. Tensions between the three countries, particularly between China and Japan, have been mounting because of the islands. Last week, Taiwan's Coast Guard had a water-canon confrontation with their Japanese counterparts while protecting a Taiwanese fishing boat that was trying to sail to the Diaoyutais. A Japanese media report yesterday said a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel was spotted in waters just outside the Diaoyutais region. The Japanese coast guard sounded an alarm, warning it against entering Japan's territorial waters, the report said. The report said the Taiwanese vessel left after lingering for 80 minutes. Coast Guard Administration officials confirmed that the vessel was patrolling near the Diaoyutais region, but maintained that it was a routine mission protecting Taiwanese fishing operations.
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