Taiwan Chases Away Chinese Coast Guard Vessel Near Kinmen Island – Latest News and Reactions

On the 20th, Taiwan announced that it had chased away a Chinese Coast Guard vessel that had entered its territorial waters near Kinmen Island, which it effectively controls. The photo shows Maritime Commission Chief Commissioner Kan Hekirei responding to an interview. Photographed on the 20th (2024 Reuters/Ann Wang)

[台北 ２０日 ロイター] – On the 20th, Guan Bi-ling (Cabinet member) of the Maritime Commission, which is in charge of maritime policy in Taiwan, expressed regret that the China Coast Guard’s inspection of a Taiwanese tourist boat had hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people.

China announced on the 18th that its coast guard would begin patrols in the surrounding waters after a Chinese ship that approached Kinmen, a remote island under Taiwan’s effective control, overturned while trying to escape from Taiwanese coast guard authorities, killing two people. did.See more

According to Taiwanese authorities, six coast guard officers boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat (11 crew members and 23 passengers) on the 19th, checked the route plan, certificates and crew licenses, and left about 30 minutes later. Ta.

Guan told reporters that it is common for tourist boats from China and Taiwan to mistakenly enter each other’s waters. “Ships like this are not illegal at all,” he said.

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters that the issue should be resolved peacefully, adding, “We will respond in a way that does not escalate tensions.”

A senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters that China is using the subversion that left two people dead as an “excuse” to put further pressure on Taiwan’s next president, Lai Ching-de. He is likely to continue increasing pressure ahead of his inauguration on May 20th.

Meanwhile, according to Chinese state media, officials from the Quanzhou Red Cross Society (Red Cross) arrived in Kinmen on the 20th accompanied by their families to pick up the two survivors of the capsizing incident.

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Yimou Lee is a Senior Correspondent for Reuters covering everything from Taiwan, including sensitive Taiwan-China relations, China’s military aggression and Taiwan’s key role as a global semiconductor powerhouse. A three-time SOPA award winner, his reporting from Hong Kong, China, Myanmar and Taiwan over the past decade includes Myanmar’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, Hong Kong protests and Taiwan’s battle against China’s multifront campaigns to absorb the island.

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2024-02-20 15:47:51