China Blames Taipei For Death Of Its Fishermen Chased By Taiwanese Coast Guard

China has condemned the death of two of its fishermen who drowned during a pursuit by Taiwan’s coast guard, saying the incident undermined the “mutual goodwill between compatriots” on both sides of the Taiwan Strait when they were celebrating the Chinese New Year.

Following the death of the two fishermen after a boat chase by the Taiwanese Coast Guard on Wednesday, China also called it the “result of offensive actions pursued by Taiwanese officials” and asked Taipei to ensure the safety of fishermen from the Chinese mainland.

The Taiwanese coastguard has said the incident happened when it chased a speedboat from the Chinese mainland while it was “trespassing” Taiwanese waters at its defence outpost of Quemoy – also known as Kinmen, portal Taiwan News said.

Describing the incident, it said, the Chinese boat capsized after it crossed into Kinmen’s waters and sped away ignoring the calls from the Taiwanese Coast Guard to stop for inspection. “All four on board fell into the water when their boat capsized. The Taiwanese Guard pulled the four out of the water but two of them died,” it said.

The deaths were stated to be unusual even though there was a high-level presence of China's fishing and naval vessels near Kinmen, which is closer to the Chinese mainland than it is to Taiwan.

Hours after the mishap, taking exception to the action by Taiwanese Coast Guards, Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed strong condemnation of the incident, which he said, occurred during the Spring Festival and “undermined the mutual goodwill between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”

Both China and Taiwan are celebrating the Chinese New Year of the Dragon since February 8.

Extending condolences and sympathy to the victims and their families, Zhu asked Taiwanese authorities that they should ensure the safety of mainland fishermen and prevent such incidents from happening again.

He said for many years, the mainland has put a lot of effort into guaranteeing the normal operation of fishermen from both sides of the Strait and has established reception facilities in several coastal localities for Taiwan fishermen, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

He also accused Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party, which won the recent Presidential election on independence plank, of “forcibly detaining mainland fishing boats on various excuses and rudely treating mainland fishermen,” which, he said, is the main cause of such an incident.

Zhu urged relevant parties from Taiwan to respect the historical fact of fishermen from both sides of the Strait operating in its traditional fishery zones.

China claims Taiwan, as part of the mainland and Beijing’s assertions under current Chinese President Xi Jinping’s rule to reclaim the estranged island have gotten louder in recent years sparking concerns about military actions by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

In the last few years, there was heavy military build-up by the PLA in the Taiwan Straits followed by offensive actions by the Chinese navy, air force and missile forces.

China has also expressed concern over the recent Presidential election in Taiwan in which DPP candidate, Lai Ching-te won defeating Beijing-friendly Hou Yu-ih of the Kuomintang party.

Lai’s victory was regarded as a significant milestone in Taiwan’s politics as it is the first time a political party in the estranged island has won the Presidential election on the pro-independence plank for a third time highlighting the Taiwanese people’s wish to retain the status quo.