China coast guard detains Taiwanese fishing boat near frontline islands, Taiwan says
In a statement, Taiwan’s coast guard said the fishing boat, Tachinman 88, was intercepted by two Chinese coast guard vessels near the Kinmen islands, which lie just miles from the Chinese city of Xiamen.
China coast guard officers boarded the fishing boat and then escorted it to a nearby Chinese port, the statement said, adding that three Taiwan coast guard vessels answered a call for help but retreated to avoid conflict when they were outnumbered by their Chinese counterparts.
The Taiwan coast guard also demanded the immediate release of the boat and crew members.
“The Coast Guard Administration calls on China not to engage in political manipulation, which undermines cross-strait relations, and it should release the Tachinman 88 vessel and its crew immediately,” the Taiwanese statement said.
Chinese authorities are yet to comment on the incident.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory despite having never controlled it, and has vowed to unify with the island, by force if necessary.
And Beijing has ramped up pressure on Taipei since President Lai Ching-te, who it openly loathes as a “dangerous separatist,” won the island’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party a historic third consecutive term in power in January.
Meanwhile, tensions remain high in the waters around Kinmen, a group of outlying islands controlled by Taiwan but nestled just a stone’s throw from the shores of China.
China’s coast guard has increased patrols in waters around Kinmen and other outlying islands controlled by Taiwan since February, when two Chinese fishermen were drowned while being chased by Taiwan’s coast guard, who accused them of trespassing.
In late February, Chinese coast guard officers intercepted and boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat for inspection, an unprecedented move that startled Taiwanese passengers.
In a news conference Wednesday, a senior Taiwanese maritime official said the Taiwanese vessel was detained Tuesday amid an annual summer fishing ban implemented by China in May.
Two Taiwanese and three Indonesian crew members were detained as the boat operated 11.2 nautical miles from the mainland coast in China’s territorial waters, said Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director of Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration.
In a separate statement Wednesday, Taiwan’s Ministry of Agriculture said the incident took place in a “traditional fishing area” for fishermen from both sides of the strait.
“We hope that China can respect our operational rights,” its statement said.
The tensions in the waters around Kinmen, a region controlled by Taiwan, have seen an increase in Chinese coast guard patrols. This escalation began in February following an incident where two Chinese fishermen drowned while being chased by Taiwan's coast guard.
In the broader context of Asia, China's actions towards Taiwan are a subject of concern, as China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and has vowed to unify it, if necessary.
