China demands Taiwan to reveal 'the truth' on fatal boat incident

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
21 Feb 2024 19:22

Last week, two Chinese nationals died in a boat incident as they were being pursued by the Taiwanese coastguard.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesman of the Taiwan Affairs Office of China’s State Council, speaks at a news conference in the capital Beijing on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 (XINHUA PHOTO)

Spokeswoman for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office Zhu Fenglian said that China strongly condemns the treatment of mainland fishermen by the Taiwan side, as well as their malicious actions of ignoring life and enforcing the law by force while deliberately concealing the truth.

China strongly condemns Taiwanese authorities for "seeking to evade their responsibilities and hide the truth," the spokeswoman said in a statement published online on Wednesday. "We solemnly demand relevant parties in Taiwan to release the truth as soon as possible."

A week ago, two Chinese nationals died in a fatal boat incident near Taiwan's Kinmen islands. The boat, which carried four people, capsized on February 14. This occurred as the Taiwanese coastguard was pursuing the vessel, which prompted everyone onboard to jump in the water. The two remaining survivors were rescued and detained in Kinmen—a territory administered by Taipei but located five kilometers from China's city of Xiamen. One of the survivors said that the boat was deliberately rammed by the Taiwanese coastguard. Taiwan, on its part, says that the coastguard was merely complying with orders.

"We strongly condemn the Taiwan side's rough treatment of mainland fishermen, strongly condemn the Taiwan side's malicious action of ignoring life and enforcing the law by force while deliberately concealing the truth," Zhu said.

"We also express strong indignation at the inhumane and indifferent words and deeds of the Taiwan side since the incident," she added while calling on Taiwan to issue an apology to the families of the deceased.

独家采访：生还渔民揭露台方对待大陆渔船真相
Exclusive Interview: Surviving Fishermen Reveal the Truth of Taiwan's Treatment of Mainland Fishing Boats
2月20日，谭主在福建见到了生还的两位渔民，回忆起事发当天的情况，两人仍心有余悸。来看他们还原的事件真相到底是什么。 pic.twitter.com/OIz5PWtRxe
— 花痴小美女 (@2RYYA37Mi892828) February 21, 2024

This comes against the backdrop of rising tensions between China and Taiwan as a result of foreign interference in fueling separatist movements on the island. The US has long claimed that it fully abides by the One China Principle. However, recent provocations by US lawmakers and officials have demonstrated that this is not truly the case.

On February 18, four days after the boat incident had occurred, China Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu announced that regular law enforcement patrols would be conducted in the waters near the Kinmen Islands.

The Coast Guard in Fujian province plans to enhance maritime law enforcement and carry out routine patrols to "safeguard order in the pertinent maritime regions and guarantee the safety of fishing crews' lives and property," as stated by Gan on WeChat.