A Chinese coast guard cutter departed waters near Taiwan's Pratas Islands after a tense standoff and verbal sparring with Taiwan's coast guard, reported Reuters.

China claims the Pratas, located at the northern end of the South China Sea, as its territory. Taiwan rejects this claim and remains on alert for increased Chinese military activity after President Xi Jinping discussed Taiwan with US President Donald Trump in Beijing this month.

Taiwan's coast guard reported that it spotted the Chinese vessel and dispatched its own ship, which broadcast warnings. The two sides exchanged heated radio messages regarding sovereignty, with the Chinese ship insisting it was on a routine mission.

Taiwan's coast guard stated that the Chinese vessel eventually sailed away late Sunday. Officials noted that the wording on sovereignty and jurisdiction was unusual, as was the length of the ship's stay near the Pratas.

The coast guard added that it had also driven away the Chinese research ship Tongji for the second time this month in waters close to the island. The Pratas, an atoll and national park, is lightly defended and under coast guard responsibility rather than military oversight.

In January, Taiwan reported that a Chinese reconnaissance drone briefly flew over the Pratas. On Saturday, Taiwan's National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu stated that 100 Chinese ships were currently operating in the first island chain, which stretches from Japan through Taiwan to the Philippines.