China captures Taiwanese fishing boat
An incident near the Taiwanese island of Kinmen is escalating tensions between Taipei and Beijing. Chinese officials boarded a fishing boat under the Taiwanese flag and detained the crew in China. Taiwan's Coast Guard had no chance to intervene.
Taiwan is demanding an explanation for the detention of several sailors along with their fishing boat by the Chinese Coast Guard near a Taiwanese island. A spokesperson for Taiwan's Coast Guard made the statement in the morning after the incident. It has also been reported that two of the fishermen are Taiwanese and three are Indonesian. He demanded the release of the boat. As of yet, there have been no statements from the Chinese side.
According to Taiwanese reports, China's Coast Guard stopped the fishing boat from Taiwan near the island of Kinmen, which lies in the Taiwan Strait between the two countries. The boat was reportedly about 24 nautical miles northeast of the island, outside of the Taiwanese jurisdiction. Kinmen belongs to Taiwan but is only a few kilometers from the Chinese mainland. China's Coast Guard has increased patrols in the area in recent months following the deaths of two Chinese fishermen in a pursuit with the Taiwanese Coast Guard in February.
The Taiwanese Coast Guard further stated that Chinese officials went aboard the fishing boat and took it to a port in the Chinese province of Fujian on the mainland a short time later. Taiwan's Coast Guard attempted to send two ships to aid the fishing boat according to their own reports, but one was intercepted by three Chinese Coast Guard boats and ordered not to interfere.
Release of "Tachinman Nr. 88" and Crew Demanded
Taiwan's Coast Guard is demanding the immediate release of fishing boat "Tachinman Nr. 88" and the crew. Beijing is urged to prevent political manipulations that could harm relations between the communist-ruled China and the democratic island republic of Taiwan, it was stated. The communist leadership in Beijing considers Taiwan part of China's territory.
Since the inauguration of Tsai Ing-wen as the new President of Taiwan, Beijing has increased pressure on the country, which has been democratically governed for decades. There are constant concerns that China could launch an invasion, a threat that the leadership in Beijing has also made.
- The fishing boat "Tachinman Nr. 88" and its six-member crew, comprising of both Taiwanese and Indonesian individuals, are currently being detained in China following the incident near Kinmen.
- The Chinese boarding of the foreign-flagged fishing boat near Taiwanese jurisdiction has sparked demands for political transparency from Taiwan, emphasizing the need to maintain peaceful relations between China and Taiwan.
- The boarding and subsequent detention of the fishing boat in a Chinese province, reportedly Fujian, has been a point of concern for the Taiwanese authorities, urging Beijing to respect international maritime laws and facilitate the release of the boat and its crew.
