Advertisement
Mainland China and Taiwan reach deal to resolve crisis over fishing crew deaths near Quemoy
- More than a dozen rounds of sometimes acrimonious talks end with agreement on compensation to families and return of remains
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
6
![Two men died in February after their boat was pursued by the Taiwanese coastguard. Photo: Coast Guard Administration’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/07/30/3f0c055c-7e04-4f60-9ea5-d468c833ac79_84e1fd7b.jpg?itok=vGM6X7Wr&v=1722310105)
Mainland China and Taiwan have reached a deal over the deaths of two mainland fishermen in February, agreeing to compensate the victims’ families and repatriate the bodies of the two men.
Advertisement
The agreement broke a political stalemate and ended months of finger-pointing between the two sides, which had not officially met to resolve the incident since March.
The men drowned after their boat capsized during a chase by the Taiwanese coastguard in waters off the Taiwanese defence outpost of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, on February 14.
Mainland and Taiwanese officials met soon after the incident, holding 15 rounds of talks, but the negotiations stalled in March.
The incident added fuel to the flames of cross-strait relations, with the Taiwanese coastguard accusing the men of trespassing in restricted waters and mainland officials accusing the island’s authorities of “rough dispersal of the fishing boat”.
![](https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/media/wheel-on-gray.af4a55f9.gif)
Advertisement