China plans to send troops to patrol off the coast of Taiwan-controlled islands after a fatal collision between a Chinese speedboat and Taiwan’s coast guard in waters off Kinmen last week. .
Kinmen Island is located just a few miles from mainland China, and Taiwanese authorities have long complained of intrusion by Chinese vessels. Taipei says Chinese fishermen and sand dredgers regularly cross the border into Taiwan’s waters off Kinmen. This is one of the many sticking points in maritime relations between Taiwan and mainland China. The Chinese government does not recognize the Taipei government and maintains that it has sovereignty over all of Taiwan.
The latest dust outbreak off Kinmen Island occurred last Wednesday, when two Chinese nationals were killed during a chase off Beiding Island. The collision began when a high-speed boat carrying four people entered Taiwan’s territorial waters, and was tracked by the Taiwan Coast Guard Agency (CGA). The suspect’s boat capsized while fleeing, killing both occupants. The two survivors were taken ashore for treatment at Kinmen Hospital and remain in Taiwanese custody.
In a brief statement on Sunday, the China Coast Guard said it would increase its law enforcement presence around Kinmen Island to “further maintain operational order in the relevant waters and protect the safety of fishermen’s lives and property.”
The Chinese Communist Party’s Taiwan Affairs Office said, “Fishers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been fishing in traditional fishing grounds in the Xiamen and Kinmen waters for a long time, and there are no such things as “prohibited areas” or “restricted areas.” said. Saturday.
The agency added that if the two surviving fishermen are not released, “China reserves the right to take further measures and Taiwan will bear all consequences.”