China Coast Guard detains Taiwanese fishing boat and 5 crew members near Quemoy

The incident is the latest in a string of confrontations in waters off the coast of the outpost also known as Kinmen

Taiwan

Lawrence Chungin Taipei

Published: 7:00pm, 3 Jul 2024

Why you can trust SCMP

The China Coast Guard has seized a Taiwanese fishing boat and detained its crew near Quemoy, in a fresh flare-up in the area around the Taiwan-controlled defence outpost, also known as Kinmen.

The incident occurred just one week after a tense stand-off in which Taiwanese coastguard vessels intercepted four mainland Chinese coastguard ships patrolling waters 5 nautical miles from Quemoy.

Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said on Wednesday that the fishing boat Da Jin Man 88 was stopped by two mainland coastguard vessels late on Tuesday while operating in waters 23.7 nautical miles off Quemoy.

Mainland officers boarded the boat for inspection and told the captain and crew to navigate towards the mainland coastal city of Jinjiang in Fujian province.

The Taiwanese coastguard tried to intervene but the mainland sent seven vessels in two groups to block them. After a tense stand-off lasting about 50 minutes, the Taiwanese side ceased pursuit to prevent further escalation, according to the administration.

In addition to the Taiwanese captain, one Taiwanese and three Indonesian crew members were on board the fishing boat.

A spokesman for the mainland coastguard said on Wednesday that the Taiwanese boat had violated the summer fishing moratorium by using trawl nets to catch fish.

“The act was deemed detrimental to fishery resources and marine ecology,” spokesman Liu Dejun said. “The Fujian coastguard boarded the boat, and vessels from Taiwan attempting to interrupt their law enforcement were warned off in accordance with the law.”

03:11

Mainland China launches PLA blockade around Taiwan, 3 days after William Lai speech

Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy director-general of the administration, acknowledged that the Da Jin Man was operating within mainland waters.

“[The Da Jin Man] was located 2.8 nautical miles off the Chinese territorial sea baseline but within Chinese territorial waters,” he said in Taipei on Wednesday, declining to comment on whether the detention was politically motivated.

“Given the summer fishing moratorium in China, we will establish follow-up contact with the [mainland] Chinese authorities through [Taiwan’s] Mainland Affairs Council and the Fisheries Agency.”

The island’s coastguard also urged the mainland to not let “political considerations” affect its handling of the matter and requested “a prompt explanation for the detention”, emphasising the need to “adhere to proper procedures for releasing the boat and crew”.

Since 1999, the mainland has imposed a fishing ban between May and August in its waters, including those in the South China Sea, to protect the fisheries and marine environment.

Tuesday was the first time the mainland coastguard had detained a Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew since tightening law enforcement patrols in waters near Quemoy on June 16.

A week earlier, the mainland coastguard sent four vessels to patrol Quemoy’s waters, leading to a tense, two-hour stand-off with its Taiwanese counterpart. In February, two mainland fishermen drowned after their speedboat capsized while being pursued by Taiwan’s coastguard in waters near Quemoy.

03:03

Furious mainland China slams Taiwanese leader’s ‘blatant’ call for independence

Chen Yu-jen, a legislator for the Quemoy constituency and a member of the main opposition Kuomintang party, said the mainland used to be more accommodating towards Taiwanese boats operating in its waters.

“In the past, they would return our boats after investigation and impose fines quite quickly. However, cross-strait relations have become even more strained now, which may affect the handling of this case,” she said.

Beijing sees Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise the self-ruled island as independent but oppose any unilateral change to the status quo by force.

Cross-strait ties have soured since William Lai Ching-te, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party was elected the island’s leader in January. It deteriorated further after Lai – seen by Beijing as an “obstinate separatist” – took office on May 20 and declared that Taiwan and the mainland “are not subordinate to each other”. Beijing responded by conducting large-scale military drills around Taiwan, simulating a blockade of the island.