Shanghai, China, Feb 18 (EFE).- China has sought the release of two fishermen detained after the Taiwan Coast Guard chased a fishing boat in a fatal incident that killed two Chinese crew members.
Taiwan Affairs spokesperson Zhu Fenglian made the remarks regarding the incident on Wednesday, in which a fishing boat from the southeastern Fujian Province was chased away in the waters of the Kinmen area. The incident led to all four aboard falling into the sea, two of whom died.
“There has never been such a thing as ‘off-limit’ and ‘restricted’ waters in the zones,” Zhu said in a press statement on Saturday evening.
The spokesperson asserted that the incident “caused widespread indignation” in China and warned that Beijing “will not tolerate Taiwan authorities’ negligence of the lives and property of mainland fishermen.”
She urged Taiwanese authorities to release the detained fishermen and fishing boats soon.
She warned that China reserved the right to take further measures, “the consequences of which shall be borne by the Taiwan side.”
On Wednesday, the Taiwanese Coast Guard spotted four people aboard a speedboat about two kilometers east of Beijing Island, one of the smallest in the Kinmen Islands archipelago, located just 10 km off the southeastern Chinese city of Xiamen, and another 187 km from the main island of Taiwan.
The Taiwanese coast guard “immediately” signaled the vessel to stop for inspection. But the crew allegedly resisted and sped away, causing the vehicle to capsize and resulting in the deaths of two of them.
Two survivors were taken into judicial custody.
The Taiwanese official news agency CNA reported that the vessel was not registered with any owner and did not carry a registration number.
Taiwan said the Coast Guard acted “in accordance with the law” and criticized the Chinese side for failing to stop illegal incursions by its citizens into Taiwanese waters.
The Kinmen Islands, home to around 120,000 Taiwanese, have been disputed between China and Taiwan over the decades. EFE
vec-ssk