NEW DELHI: A Taiwan minister said today that five Chinese coast guard ships entered prohibited or restricted waters around Taiwan's frontline islands of Kinmen yesterday.

The minister further informed that the Chinese ships left shortly after being warned away. In recent times, the tension between China and Taiwan has escalated.

Earlier this month, two Chinese nationals died trying to flee Taiwan's coast guard after their boat entered prohibited waters. After this incident, China's coast guard started regular patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which are close to China's coast.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory despite the island's rejection, has been wary of efforts by Beijing to ramp up pressure on Taipei following last month's election of Lai Ching-te as president. Beijing considers Lai a separatist.
Taiwan has a large military garrison on Kinmen, the scene of frequent fighting during the height of the Cold War, but Taiwan's coast guard patrols its waters.

Kinmen is a short boat ride from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou. Taipei has controlled it since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists, who set up the People's Republic of China.