Taiwan Strait

Taiwan Strait Latest News

China’s military recently said its forces had followed and warned a Canadian and an Australian warship, which were sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait, in a move it criticised as a provocation.

About Taiwan Strait

• Taiwan Strait, also called Formosa Strait, separates continental Asia and the island of Taiwan.
• It extends from the South China Sea in the southwest to the East China Sea in the northeast.
• It runs between the coast of the Fujian (Fukien) Province and the island of Taiwan.
• It has an average width of 180 km, while its narrowest part is 130 km wide.
• It sits on Asia’s continental shelf that runs along the entire stretch of the strait. 
• It is relatively shallow. It has an average depth of about 490 ft and a minimum depth of 82 ft.
• Ports: The chief ports are Amoy in mainland China and Kao-hsiung in Taiwan. 
• Rivers: Several rivers, including the Jiulong and Min rivers from China’s Fujian Province, drain into the Taiwan Strait. 
• Islands: 
  • Kinmen and Matsu are two of the largest and most significant islands in the strait located off the Fujian coast of China. 
  • The biggest islands along the Taiwan side include Penghu (or Pescadores), Xiamen, and Pingtan.
  • The Xiamen and Pingtan Islands are administered by the People’s Republic of China, while the other three islands: Penghu (or Pescadores), Kinmen, and Matsu are under the administration of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
  • Penghu (or Pescadores) Island is the largest and most populous island in the Taiwan Strait.
• It serves as a busy navigational waterway, on which millions of tons of cargo are ferried annually.
• The strait is also one of the most important fishing grounds in China, and more than a hundred economically important fish species are found here.

Source: REUT

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