TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan protested Tuesday against China's boarding of a tourist boat as tensions rise around the Kinmen archipelago, which lies not far off the coast of China but is controlled by Taiwan.
Taiwanese media reported that the King Xia, which had 11 crew members and 23 passengers on board, was boarded by the Chinese Coast Guard for about 32 minutes on Monday. Taiwan's Coast Guard escorted the boat back to Kinmen and it then continued its sightseeing trip.
Maritime Affairs Minister Kuan Bi-ling told reporters in Parliament on Tuesday that the incident “hurt the feelings of our people, caused panic among people and was not in the interests of people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.” refers to the 160-kilometer (100-mile) wide waterway that separates mainland China from Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own territory.
Prime Minister Chen Chien-jen said Taiwan wanted to ease tensions in the region that escalated as China stepped up its military activities following Taiwan's election of a pro-independence president in January.
“We hope this matter can be resolved properly,” Chen said. “We hope that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait will adopt a rational, reciprocal and cooperative approach to maintain the security of the waters between Kinmen and (the Chinese port city) Xiamen and enable the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to be healthier and orderly communicate.”
China is stepping up patrols in the waters off the coast of Kinmen and its islands, days after two Chinese fishermen drowned in pursuit by the Taiwan Coast Guard, which accused the boat of trespassing.
Taiwan's coast guard said a boat carrying four people was fishing about a nautical mile from Kinmen, which Taiwan has declared a restricted area primarily for military purposes, and capsized during a chase. Relatives of the deceased came to Kinmen to preside over traditional funeral services and bring their cremated remains home. According to Taiwan's official Central News Agency, the two survivors were also sent back to mainland China.
China blamed Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party for the fishermen's deaths. It also said there were no “restricted” waters.
Ships move through the Taiwan Strait in Pingtan, southeastern Fujian province, Aug. 5, 2022, as seen from the 68-nautical-mile lookout point, the closest point in mainland China to the island of Taiwan. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)
A spokesman for the Chinese Coast Guard said on Sunday that its Fujian branch would regularly monitor the waters off the southern coast of Xiamen – within sight of Kinmen – to strengthen enforcement of maritime laws.
China's Foreign Ministry declined to answer questions on the issue, saying it was not a “diplomatic matter,” reflecting Beijing's refusal to recognize Taiwan as an independent political identity with its own legitimate governing bodies.
Fishermen from Taiwan and China regularly ply this stretch of water, which has led to a rise in tensions as the number of Chinese vessels – including sand dredgers and fishing boats – in the area has increased significantly.
Kinmen residents have complained about both the noise and pollution from the ships and loss of livelihood from fishing.
Taiwan separated from China during the civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the 23-million-person island and its offshore islands to be Chinese territory and has stepped up its threat to enforce this with military force if necessary.
In addition to exerting diplomatic, political and military pressure on Taiwan, China is believed to be seeking to bring Kinmen into its orbit, along with the Taiwan-controlled Matsu archipelago, which lies off the Chinese coast to the north. Taiwanese forces stationed in the region have fired on drones sent over from the mainland in what is seen as a hybrid civil-military operation to sow fear and undermine support for Taiwan's government.
China regularly sends fighter jets and naval ships to the area around the island. In the 24 hours before 6 a.m. Tuesday, 24 military aircraft and eight ships were spotted operating around the island, Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported, adding that 11 of the aircraft crossed the median line in the Taiwan Strait. It said Taiwan had dispatched fighter jets, dispatched ships and put land-based missile defense systems on alert – all standard responses to an almost daily show of force between the sides.
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Associated Press video journalist Johnson Lai contributed to this report.