The recent boarding of a Taiwanese tourist vessel by China’s coast guard near strategically important islands caused alarm among Taiwan’s populace, according to a Taiwanese government official.

Reports from Taiwanese media indicate that the King Xia, with 23 passengers and 11 crew members onboard, was boarded by the Chinese coast guard for approximately 30 minutes near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands on Monday, February 19, 2024.

According to Taiwan’s coast guard, six Chinese coast guard officers checked the tourist boat’s route plan, certificate, and crew licenses.

Following the inspection, the Taiwanese coast guard escorted the boat back to Kinmen, allowing it to resume its sightseeing tour.

Kuan Bi-ling, Head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, on Tuesday, February 20, stated, “We think it has harmed our people’s feelings and triggered people’s panic. That was also not in line with the interest of the people across the strait”

Taiwan Calls For China To Be Rational

Taiwanese Premier Chen Chien-jen announced on Tuesday, February 20, that, since 1992, both sides have recognized the existence of “restricted and off-limits sea areas”.

“We will continue to protect these sea areas to ensure safety in our territorial waters and the rights of our fishermen. We hope both sides can be rational, equitable and cooperate with each other to ensure the safety of the Kinmen-Xiamen waters so that the people from both sides of the strait can engage with each other in a healthy and orderly manner.”
Premier Chen Chien-jen

Kinmen is situated just a few kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen.

It hosts a significant Taiwanese military garrison, and Taiwan’s coast guard routinely patrols its surrounding waters.

In response to Monday’s incident involving the tourist boat, Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng stated that the military will refrain from “actively intervening” to prevent an escalation of tensions. “Let’s handle the matter peacefully,” he added.

The incident came after two Chinese crew members died in a boat capsize near Kinmen last week.

The unidentified Chinese vessel had been sailing about one nautical mile off the coast of an islet of Kinmen island, Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration said in a statement. The Chinese vessel attempted to flee but capsized.

According to Chen Jien-wen, the Vice Captain of the Coast Guard in Kinmen, four fishermen fell into the water and two survived and are in “good shape,” however, resuscitation efforts on the other two failed.

Taiwan’s head of the Mainland Affairs Council, Chiu Tai-san, who oversees the island’s relations with China, said, “We keep a certain level of contact with the other side and our Coast Guard, and will promptly let them know of related developments.”

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office strongly condemned the deaths and called for an investigation, saying “Such a malicious event during the Spring Festival seriously hurts the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”

The statement accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in Taiwan of using “all sorts of excuses to forcefully inspect Chinese fishing vessels, and using violent and dangerous methods towards Chinese fishermen.”

Kinmen residents in recent years have reported seeing an increase in sand dredger vessels from China, which take sand from the ocean floor, as well as fishing ships, close to its coast.

Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), has been governed independently from mainland China (officially the People’s Republic of China, or PRC) since 1949.

However, Beijing views Taiwan as a renegade province and vows to eventually “unify” it with the mainland.

The island has a democratically elected government and is home to approximately twenty-three million people.

Cross-strait tensions have escalated significantly since the election of former Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.

Tsai’s refusal to accept a formula endorsed by her predecessor, Ma Ying-jeou, for increased cross-strait ties has further strained relations.