TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Coast Guard Administration chased four Chinese coast guard ships away after they approached a restricted area near Kinmen on Friday.

Extremely poor weather conditions made the action more difficult, CNA reported. Once the coast guard tracked down the Chinese vessels south of the offshore island, it sent four of its own patrol boats to monitor the situation.

The Chinese ships split up in two groups before entering Kinmen waters at 3 p.m., according to the coast guard. The Taiwanese crews used Mandarin and English to warn off the Chinese coast guard until the latter left the area around 5 p.m.

Even though the year was coming to a close, China was still intent on disrupting regional peace and stability by sending its coast guard ships into Taiwan’s restricted waters, the coast guard said. It added it would continue to use an active and flexible strategy to guard the safety of Kinmen.