Taiwan says Chinese coast guard patrols sparking panic on its tourist boats

Taiwan says it will not ‘actively intervene’ in passenger boat incident to avoid escalating tensions

As the city of Xiamen, China, is seen in the background, wartime anti-tank obstacles sit on a beach on October 7, 2023 in Kinmen, Taiwan (Getty Images)

Taiwan has accused Chinese patrols of sparking panic among people after officials boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat for inspection.

Six Chinese coast guard officers boarded a Taiwanese tourist boat with 23 passengers and 11 crew members on Monday in Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, a frontline just 3km away from Chinese shores.

They stayed on the sight-seeing ferry King Xia for half an hour, checking route plans, certificates and crew licences before leaving, Taiwan‘s coast guard said.

In response, a Taiwan coast guard patrol arrived to escort King Xia back to port.

"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," Kuan Bi-ling, head of Taiwan‘s Ocean Affairs Council, told reporters on the sidelines of parliament in Taipei on Tuesday.

The incident comes amid heightened tensions as China stepped up patrols in the Kinmen archipelago. A Chinese finish boat capsized last week, killing two of the four people on board after it was pursued by Taiwanese coast guard.

Kinmen, which has a large Taiwanese military garrison, is a short boat ride away from the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou in the south-eastern coast. It has been controlled by Taipei since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, who set up the People’s Republic of China.

Taiwanese coast guards inspect a vessel that capsized during a chase off the coast of Kinmen archipelago in Taiwan, Wednesda (AP)

The passengers on the sightseeing vessel said they were nervous and concerned that they "would not be able to return to Taiwan".

"I was quite shocked and very anxious," said one of the female passengers in a video posted on China Times.

Ms Kuan said it was common for Chinese and Taiwanese tourist boats to accidentally enter the other side’s waters.

"Boats like these are not illegal at all," she said.

On Tuesday, Taiwan’s coast guard said it drove away a Chinese counterpart’s boat that entered into the waters near its sensitive frontline islands.

A Chinese coast guard boat, numbered 8029, entered Taiwan’s waters near Kinmen on Tuesday morning, Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement, adding it dispatched a boat and used radio and broadcast to drive away its Chinese counterpart, which left the area an hour later.

China’s Red Cross staff Li Chaohui speaking to the press upon his arrival in Kinmen as relatives of two fisherman arrive (CNA/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan’s defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said in parliament on Tuesday that the military will not "actively intervene" in the incident of Chinese officials entering into a passenger boat to avoid escalating tensions

"Let’s handle the matter peacefully," he said. "Not escalating tensions is our response."

The Maritime and Port Bureau of Taiwan has urged Taiwanese vessels to decline any future requests by Chinese coast guards to board for inspection. Instead, they are advised to promptly notify the CGA (Coast Guard Administration).

China announced on Sunday that it would increase inspection patrols in the area and “strongly condemned” the incident in which two fishermen on a speed boat drowned.

The incident happened on 14 February when a Chinese speedboat with four people capsized and Taiwan’s coast guard said the speedboat had “illegally [entered] Taiwanese waters”.

As the city of Xiamen, China, is seen in the background, wartime anti-tank obstacles sit on a beach on 7 October 2023 in Kinmen (Getty Images)

“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.”

Beijing has demanded investigation and said the incident "seriously hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait".

Chinese state media said the family members of the two survivours arrived on Kinmen island to bring back the two men.

Additional reporting by agencies