TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan said its China Coast Guard boarded a Taiwanese fishing boat on Tuesday and steered it to a mainland Chinese port, where it demanded Beijing release the vessel.
Taiwan’s maritime authority said in a statement that the Tachinman 88 was seized by two Chinese ships on Tuesday evening near the Kinmen Islands, a short distance off the Chinese coast but under Taiwan’s control.
Taiwan sent three vessels to rescue the Tachinman 88, but one that approached the fishing boat was blocked by three Chinese vessels and ordered not to interfere, the statement said. The pursuit was called off to avoid an escalation of the conflict after Taiwan’s maritime authorities detected four more Chinese vessels approaching, the statement added.
“The Coast Guard urges mainland China to refrain from political manipulation and undermining cross-strait relations, and release the Tachin Man and its crew as soon as possible,” the statement said.
Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency said the ship had six crew members, including the captain and five migrant workers, and that it was just over 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Jinjiang River on the Chinese mainland at the time of the boarding, according to Taiwanese authorities.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and says it should be under its control. The Chinese military regularly sends military aircraft and ships to Taiwan, including conducting a major drill in May involving dozens of aircraft and ships.
Taiwanese and Chinese fishermen regularly navigate the waters near the Kinmen Islands, but a significant increase in the number of Chinese vessels, including sand dredgers and fishing boats, has raised tensions.
In February, two Chinese fisherman drowned The ship has been tracked by Taiwan’s Coast Guard off the coast of Kinmen, prompting Beijing to step up maritime patrols.
