The Taiwanese and Chinese Coast Guards have been engaged in another tense standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands at the top of the South China Sea.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a position the government in Taipei rejects. China has pressured Taiwan by increasing its military presence around the island over the past five years.
Lying roughly between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance - more than 400km - from Taiwan island.
