China Coast Guard Boards Taiwan Tour Boat, Escalating Spat
(Bloomberg) -- China’s Coast Guard boarded a Taiwanese tourist vessel near an offshore outpost, in an apparent response to an accident that saw two fishermen die.
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The Coast Guard officers checked documents of the ship operating near the Taiwanese island of Kinmen on Monday and left after about 30 minutes, the Taipei-based Central News Agency reported. Kinmen sits less than 3km (1.9 miles) from the mainland.
The boarding surprised the tourists, who feared they may be taken to the mainland, the semi-official CNA said. Some of them shouted at the coast guardsmen: “This is terrible!”
The boarding is rare and comes after two Chinese fishermen died when their speedboat capsized near Kinmen on Feb. 14. Taiwan’s Coast Guard said it chased the vessel after it fled an inspection attempt. Two other Chinese fishermen were rescued.
Read More: Taiwan Defends Fatal Expulsion of Chinese Fishing Boat
Relatives of the pair who died arrived in Kinmen to attend funeral rituals, CNA reported Tuesday. The other two were set for deportation.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council expressed regret at the “unfortunate incident” involving the fishermen but said a preliminary inquiry found the action by its Coast Guard was lawful and proper.
China condemned Taiwan for the deadly expulsion. Zhu Fenglian, spokeswoman for the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, said the incident undermined the goodwill between people on both sides of the strait. China’s Coast Guard has also said it would step up inspection activity around Kinmen and nearby Xiamen.
TAO, a Chinese government department that handles matters related to Taiwan, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the boarding.
Disputes over fishing occasionally flare between China and Taiwan, the democratically run island of 23 million people that Beijing has pledged to bring under its control someday, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s Coast Guard routinely expels Chinese fishing vessels from its waters and occasionally impounds a ship.
Read More: Why Taiwan’s Status Risks Igniting a US-China Clash: QuickTake
--With assistance from Lucille Liu.
(Updates with relatives of deceased arriving in Kinmen.)
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