Taiwan Defends Fatal Expulsion of Chinese Fishing Boat

Sing Yee Ong
·2 min read
32

(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan has defended its maritime operation that led to the death of two Chinese fishermen and prompted China’s condemnation.

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Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council expressed regret at the “unfortunate incident” but said the action by the Taiwanese Coast Guard was lawful and proper based on a preliminary investigation, according to a Thursday statement.

A China-registered speedboat carrying four people capsized on Wednesday off the coast of Taiwan’s Kinmen island during a chase after it refused inspection by Taiwanese authorities, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said in an earlier statement.

Two of the Chinese fishermen were rescued while two others died after emergency treatment failed, it said. A press officer for the Coast Guard said the deaths were the first-ever fatalities from its enforcement action.

China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, condemned the self-ruled democracy for the deadly expulsion. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the incident undermined the goodwill between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

Disputes over fishing have flared from time to time between Taiwan and China. In September, Taiwan’s Coast Guard detained 17 crew members after they allegedly carried out illegal fishing and rammed into a patrol vessel, according to Taipei Times. In another incident in November, the Coast Guard impounded a Chinese fishing vessel and detained its crew for trespassing, CNA reported.

In its Thursday statement, the Taiwanese body handling China affairs blamed the Chinese crew for refusing to cooperate with the Coast Guard and called on Chinese authorities to “restrain similar behavior.”

“Recently, a number of Chinese fishing vessels have been entering our restricted or prohibited waters to capture high-value fish during the Lunar New Year season, seriously infringing on the rights and interests of our fishermen and the livelihood of coastal residents,” Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council said.

From January to September last year, Taiwan’s Coast Guard expelled 652 Chinese fishing boats, of which 20 were impounded, CNA reported, citing the Ocean Affairs Council.

Taiwanese authorities will investigate the two surviving Chinese fishermen and contact the families of the deceased through official channels, the Coast Guard said.

(Updates throughout with comments from Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council and context)

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