One of the two Taiwanese fishermen who went missing off the Kinmen Islands was released, while the other was detained by Chinese authorities, Taiwan News reported on March 23.
On March 17, two Taiwanese went fishing near the Kinmen Islands. However, due to fog, they got lost and sailed into Chinese waters near the city of Quanzhou, where they were detained by the Chinese coast guard.
The Chinese side handed over one of them to the Taiwanese coast guard and kept the second in custody because he concealed that he was an active officer in the Taiwanese military.
Taiwanese authorities will negotiate his release and hope for his quick return home.
Let us remember that on February 14, an incident occurred between Chinese fishermen and the Taiwanese coast guard. The coast guard vessel was attempting to dislodge the high-speed Chinese fishing boat from the waters around the Kinmen archipelago, which Taiwan considers “off-limits” and does not allow foreign vessels to enter “restricted traffic” waters without permission. “.
During the chase, a boat carrying Chinese fishermen capsized, trapping four people in the water. They were pulled out of the water and taken to the hospital. However, two fishermen died there.
China called on the island’s authorities to investigate the incident, release the detained fishermen and return their boat. In response, Taiwanese authorities called on China to crack down on fishing violations by Chinese fishermen. They fully justified the actions of their coast guard and claimed that coast guard officers across the Taiwan Strait would have done the same.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the Taiwan Strait belongs to a single and indivisible China and that the island also belongs to it. Since ancient times, fishermen from both sides of the strait have fished in the strait’s traditional fishing areas.
In the strait there have never been “prohibited” zones or “restricted traffic” waters, he emphasized. China will always show goodwill towards its compatriots, but will not allow Taiwanese authorities to neglect the lives and property rights of Chinese fishermen, Zhu Fenglian concluded.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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