Taiwan says Chinese boats around Kinmen island daily since deadly incident
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Shiyu or Lion Islet, which is part of Kinmen County, one of Taiwan's offshore islands, is pictured with China's Xiamen in the background, in Kinmen.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Taipei – Taiwan’s coast guard chief said on March 4 that an average of six to seven Chinese vessels have been in waters around Kinmen island every day since a fatal boat incident in February.
A Chinese speedboat carrying four people capsized on Feb 14 near Kinmen
Two of the crew died and two others were rescued and temporarily detained in Kinmen – a territory administered by Taipei but located just 5km from China’s city of Xiamen.
The incident has fuelled tensions between China and Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory.
“Since the Feb 14 incident, they deliberately have six to seven vessels on average daily and as many as 11 vessels during the daytime,” Taiwanese coast guard chief Chou Mei-wu told a parliamentary committee, referring to China.
“They are not only coast guard boats, but also maritime surveillance ships and other vessels from (Chinese) authorities. Their intention is to surround Kinmen,” he said.
Dr Chou said the coast guard had “expelled” the vessels, but he did not provide details.
A survivor of the boat crash has reportedly claimed the vessel was “rammed”, while the Taiwanese coast guard has said it “lost its balance and capsized”.
Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and in recent years has ramped up its rhetoric of “unification”.
It has stepped up military pressure on Taiwan by deploying warplanes and naval vessels around the island on a near-daily basis. AFP
