BEIJING: The violent eviction of Chinese mainland fishing boats by Taiwan authorities, resulting in the deaths of two fishermen, has caused strong indignation in the mainland, and Taiwan authorities have been urged to release the detained boat and crew and properly handle the incident before it further damages cross-Straits relations.
China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu said in a statement on Sunday that the Fujian Coast Guard will strengthen its maritime law enforcement and carry out regular law enforcement patrols in the waters between Xiamen and Kinmen.
This is to further maintain the order of operations in the relevant sea areas and ensure the safety of fishermen’s lives and property, said the spokesperson.
The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council firmly supports the China Coast Guard’s regular patrols in the waters of Xiamen and Kinmen, spokesperson Zhu Fenglian said on Sunday.
A fishing boat from Fujian was chased by Taiwan authorities in waters near Kinmen on February 14, causing all four people on board to fall into the water. Two of them died.
On Saturday night, Zhu said in a statement that fishermen from across the Taiwan Straits have traditionally operated in the waters of Xiamen and Kinmen, and there is no such thing as “prohibition or restriction of waters.”
The spokesperson urged Taiwan authorities to release the boat and crew as soon as possible, carry out follow-up work, investigate the truth of the matter, and seriously deal with those responsible, in order to give an explanation to the families of the deceased and compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits.
The mainland side reserves the right to take further measures, and the Taiwan side will bear all the consequences, Zhu said.
Soon after the incident, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council released the first statement on February 14, condemning the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities in Taiwan for using various pretexts to forcibly seize mainland fishing boats and treating mainland fishermen in a rough and dangerous manner, which is the main reason for this horrible incident.
The incident cast a shadow over cross-Straits relations during the Spring Festival. However, Taiwan’s “mainland affairs council” claimed that “the law enforcement process was not improper,” a statement which has been criticized by people from both sides of the Taiwan Straits. Chiu Yi, a commentator in Taiwan, criticized Taiwan island’s regional leader Tsai Ing-wen and deputy leader Lai Ching-te for their “irresponsible and cold-blooded attitude” toward the incident.
Chiu said the statement of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council noted there is no such thing as “prohibition or restriction of waters” and there is no problem if Fujian fishing boats “cross the border to fish.”
The arrest by the Taiwan coast guard is illegal, said Chiu, urging the Tsai authorities to apologize immediately and promise to properly hand the incident.
Moreover, the relevant personnel should be prosecuted by mainland juridical authorities for illegally ramming the mainland fishing boat, detaining the boat, and causing the death of two fishermen, Chiu said.
He noted that related departments in the Taiwan island should release the detained boat and people and compensate the fisherman. The families of the deceased fishermen should also be compensated.
The incident reflects the DPP authorities’ hostile attitude toward the mainland. The mainland has always treated Taiwan compatriots with goodwill and offered assistance to fishermen from the island, which provides a comparison to the Taiwan authorities’ attitude toward fishermen from the mainland, Zhang Wensheng, deputy dean of the Taiwan Research Institute at Xiamen University, told the Global Times.
Zhang noted that both sides of the Taiwan Straits belong to one China, and Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory. The mainland has never accepted any “restriction waters” unilaterally designated by the Taiwan authorities.
Following the incident, some residents on the Taiwan island also expressed concern that it may impact cross-Straits relations and criticized the DPP authorities for failing to communicate with the mainland.
Zhu, the spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, also said in the statement on Saturday that the mainland side has always treated Taiwan compatriots with goodwill, but it will never tolerate the actions of the Taiwan side that disregard the safety of the mainland fishermen’s lives and property.
Analysts noted that the possibility of the mainland taking countermeasures in response to the DPP authorities’ misconduct in related waters cannot be ruled out. Aside from strengthening patrols in the Xiamen and Kinmen waters, related departments may take measures to target Taiwan coast guard vessels. –Agencies
