2024-03-04 10:29:00
For almost three weeks, maritime activity has not slowed down around the island of Kinmen, a territory administered by Taiwan located just five kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen, in the east of the country. These waters were the scene of a fatal incident in mid-February: a Chinese speedboat carrying four fishermen capsized during a chase by the Taiwanese coast guard, leading to the death of two of them. A tragedy which aggravated the already high tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
“Since the incident of February 14, they (editor’s note: China) deliberately have six to seven ships on average per day and up to 11 ships during the day,” declared Chou Mei-wu, head of the Taiwanese coast guard, before a parliamentary committee on Monday March 4.
And to specify:
“These are not only coast guard boats, but also maritime surveillance vessels and other vessels of the (Chinese) authorities. Their intention is to surround Kinmen,” he continued.
Chou Mei-wu added that the Taiwan Coast Guard has ” forced out “ intruder vessels, without giving further details.
Ships but also planes and Chinese balloons
This upsurge in activity was already denounced last week by the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense. Because eleven Chinese warships were detected around Taiwan over a period of twenty-four hours. This was a record since the start of 2024, with ships generally being between four and six over such a window. In addition to these boats, the Taiwanese ministry claimed to have counted 15 military planes and a balloon.
Enough to exacerbate the already strong tensions between the two countries, especially since the circumstances of the fatal incident are still unclear at present. One of the two survivors assured Chinese state media that the boat was hit by the Taiwanese coast guard vessel. This was confirmed by the latter, blaming the Chinese speedboat. “During the chase, which lasted regarding a minute or more (…), the Chinese boat zigzagged away from our patrol boat. [Il] turned sharply to the right, causing its stern to hit the right front of our patrol boat… [Il] lost his balance and capsized, Chen Chien-wen, head of Taiwan’s coast guard, told reporters.
The investigation is ongoing and is being led by Taiwan’s justice system, as Taiwan Mainland Affairs Council spokesperson Jan Jyh-horng previously explained.
Chinese ships also in Philippine waters
It is not only in Taiwanese waters that China sends ships, but also in those of the Philippines. Like the recent passage of warships near Scarborough Atoll. Maneuvers that the Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo, publicly denounces, and in particular once more this Monday on the sidelines of the summit of the 50th anniversary of relations between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and Australia .
The two countries have a long history of maritime disputes in the South China Sea, through which billions of dollars of goods pass each year. Beijing claims almost the entire expanse of sea, including waters and islands near the coasts of several neighboring countries, and has ignored an international court’s ruling in 2016 rejecting the claim without legal basis. The Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim several reefs and islets in this sea, some areas of which might contain rich oil reserves.
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