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Taiwan has reaffirmed its commitment to upholding maritime law within its dominion, rejecting Beijing's ongoing criticism of the Taiwanese Coast Guard's handling of an incident near Kinmen that resulted in the deaths of two Chinese fishermen, as reported by Focus Taiwan.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's principal agency overseeing cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, asserted in a statement on February 18 that the government will continue "to enforce the law" in waters it controls based on the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. According to the MAC, Taiwanese authorities are authorized to take defensive measures if a Chinese vessel breaches "restricted" or "prohibited" waters under Taiwan's control, as per Focus Taiwan. The MAC's statement aimed to justify the pursuit of a Chinese speedboat by the Taiwan Coast Guard on February 14, which encroached within 1.1 nautical miles of Kinmen's eastern coast, resulting in the boat's capsizing. According to Focus Taiwan, all four men on the boat fell overboard and were picked up by the Coast Guard. Two of them were taken to the hospital but were pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate them failed. China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Zhu Fenglian promptly condemned Taiwan for the deaths, a sentiment echoed by Taiwan's response on February 15, which expressed regret over the incident but maintained the lawfulness of the Coast Guard's actions. The TAO on Saturday, however, denied the concept of "prohibited or restricted areas," arguing that fishermen from both sides of the strait have traditionally operated in the waters around Xiamen and Kinmen, which are separated by a distance of fewer than 10 kilometres. Taiwan should release both the boat and the two Chinese nationals as soon as possible, the TAO said, adding that "China reserves the right to take further measures, and Taiwan will bear all consequences." China's Coast Guard announced plans to bolster maritime enforcement capabilities and increase patrols around Xiamen and Kinmen. Presently, the prohibited zone around Kinmen extends approximately halfway toward the Chinese coast in various directions. In light of the situation, concerns were raised by the Kinmen County Government, the Kinmen Fishermen's Association, and lawmaker Jessica Chen, advocating for caution among local fishermen and for direct negotiations on economic matters between local governments in Kinmen, Matsu Islands, and China to mitigate misunderstandings. Chen also called on the central government to authorize the local governments in the Kinmen and Matsu islands to engage in direct negotiations with China on economic issues, such as fishing rights, to avoid misunderstandings. (ANI)
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