Beijing condemns Taiwan after two Chinese fishermen drown while being chased by coastguard

Taiwan authorties say Chinese speedboat had ‘illegally’ entered Taiwanese waters

China has condemned Taiwan after two Chinese fishermen drowned while being chased by the Taiwanese coastguard off the island nation’s northernmost Kinmen archipelago.

Taiwan authorities said the fishing boat had trespassed into Taiwanese waters.

The Chinese speedboat was carrying four people and all four fell into the water once Taiwanese authorities gave chase.

“The malignant incident severely harmed the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan strait,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan affairs office, said in a statement.

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”.

Taiwan’s coastguard said that the speedboat had “illegally [entered] Taiwanese waters”.

According to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, the coastguard “immediately requested that the boat submit to an inspection, but it resisted and capsized as it sped away”.

Taiwan’s mainland affairs council stated that they supported Taiwanese authorities for “enforcing the law” and said it “deeply regretted the unfortunate incident that occurred when the mainland crew refused to cooperate”.

A statement by Taiwan’s mainland affairs council said the processes of the coastguard personnel were “not improper”.

“Our people have repeatedly lodged reports and the competent authorities are required to carry out expulsions in accordance with the law, and coastguard personnel have an unshirkable duty to strengthen law enforcement in order to safeguard people’s rights,” it said.

All four men were rescued and sent to a hospital. “Two were pronounced dead after efforts to resuscitate them failed,” the coastguard said. “The other two are in stable condition and have been brought to Kinmen for further investigation by prosecutors.”

The coastguard also said that the fishermen’s families were being contacted via official channels.

Tensions between China and Taiwan have been at an all-time high, especially in the wake of the elections. China claims sovereignty over the democratically governed island but Taiwan rejects this notion.

China’s Xi Jinping, during his New Year’s address again reiterated that “reunification” with Taiwan was “inevitable”.

Additional reporting with agencies