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Offshore Earthquake Shakes Taiwan; No Danger of Tsunami

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. (Reuters)
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. (Reuters)
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Offshore Earthquake Shakes Taiwan; No Danger of Tsunami

Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. (Reuters)
Taiwan lies near the junction of two tectonic plates and is prone to earthquakes. (Reuters)

A strong earthquake struck off the east coast of Taiwan on Monday, shaking buildings in the capital, Taipei. No serious damage or injuries were reported, and authorities said there was no danger of a tsunami.

The magnitude 6.1 quake was centered 27 kilometers (17 miles) deep and about 90 kilometers (56 miles) offshore from the city of Hualien, Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau said. The strongest shaking was in northeastern Taiwan, including Taipei, The Associated Press said.

The earthquake's location was about 70 kilometers (44 miles) southwest of the remote island of Yonaguni at the western end of the Japanese archipelago. The Japanese Meteorological Agency said the quake measured magnitude 6.6, while the US Geological Survey said 6.3.

Preliminary measurements often differ and may be revised after further analysis.

The Japanese Meteorological Agency said there may be small swellings of ocean waters but there was no danger of a tsunami.
Chinese media said the earthquake was also felt in parts of mainland China. Self-governing Taiwan is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of the Chinese coast.

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China Condemns German Navy's Transit of Taiwan Strait

FILED - 06 September 2024, South Korea, Incheon: The German frigate "Baden-Wuerttemberg" is moored in the port of Incheon. Photo: Fabian Kretschmer/dpa
FILED - 06 September 2024, South Korea, Incheon: The German frigate "Baden-Wuerttemberg" is moored in the port of Incheon. Photo: Fabian Kretschmer/dpa
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China Condemns German Navy's Transit of Taiwan Strait

FILED - 06 September 2024, South Korea, Incheon: The German frigate "Baden-Wuerttemberg" is moored in the port of Incheon. Photo: Fabian Kretschmer/dpa
FILED - 06 September 2024, South Korea, Incheon: The German frigate "Baden-Wuerttemberg" is moored in the port of Incheon. Photo: Fabian Kretschmer/dpa

China's military on Saturday condemned the transit of two German navy ships through the Taiwan Strait saying it increased security risks and sent the "wrong" signal, adding that Chinese forces monitored and warned the vessels.
China, which claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own, says it alone exercises sovereignty and jurisdiction over the strait. Both the United States and Taiwan say the strait - a major trade route through which about half of global container ships pass - is an international waterway.
The People's Liberation Army's Eastern Theater Command said the passage of the two ships - a frigate and a supply vessel - was "public hyping,” and that its navy and air forces monitored and warned them throughout.
"The German side's behavior increases security risks and sends the wrong signal. Troops in the theatre are on high alert at all times and will resolutely counter all threats and provocations," Reuters quoted it as saying in a statement.
China's embassy in Germany said in a separate statement it had lodged "representations" with Berlin, saying Taiwan belonged to China, a position the democratically elected government in Taipei strongly rejects.
"The question of Taiwan is not a matter of 'freedom of navigation,’ but of China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
The Taiwan Strait is Chinese waters "and there are no so-called 'international waters' at all,” the embassy added.
China urges Germany to avoid any "interference" that would jeopardize the healthy and stable development of bilateral relations, it added.
Taiwan's government says only the island's people can decide their future.
US warships sail through the strait around once every two months, drawing the ire of Beijing, and some US allies like Canada and Britain have also made occasional transits.
China, which has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, has over the past five years stepped up military activities around the island, including staging war games.
On Saturday, Taiwan's coast guard said it had again sent ships to monitor and warn away four Chinese maritime police vessels sailing in restricted waters near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which sit right next to China's coast.
The Chinese ships have continued to provoke and damage peace in the strait, and the coast guard is determined to defend Taiwan's sovereignty upholding the principles of no provocation, no conflict and no show of weakness, it said.