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Agence France-Presse

Mainland Chinese coastguard officials briefly boarded a Taiwanese ship on Monday, according to Taipei.
Beijing had said it would step up patrols following a boat incident in which two Chinese nationals died.
The boat was carrying four mainland residents when it capsized last week near Quemoy, a Taiwan-controlled group of islands also known as Kinmen, while pursued by the Taiwanese coastguard.
All four on board were thrown into the water and two of the crew later died. The two rescued were detained in Quemoy – a territory located just 5km (3 miles) from the mainland city of Xiamen.

Taiwan had defended its actions by saying the boat was in prohibited waters, while mainland China said it would increase “law enforcement patrol operations” in the area.
On Monday, Taipei’s coastguard announced that two mainland coastguard boats near Quemoy had approached a Taiwanese cruise ship.
“Six mainland coastguard officers boarded the ship. After inspecting the ship’s voyage plan, ship certificate, the captain and crew’s licenses and the captain’s signature, they left the ship,” it said.
Taipei’s coastguard sent staff who arrived soon after their mainland counterparts had left the cruise ship, which carried 11 crew members and 23 passengers.
They “accompanied the ship all the way back to Shuitou Port” in Quemoy, the coastguard said, urging the mainland “to uphold peace and rationality”.
Beijing vows regular patrols in waters where 2 fishermen died after Taiwan chase
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council – which handles issues regarding Beijing – also announced late Monday that the families of the detained mainland crew members involved in the capsizing are expected to arrive in Quemoy on Tuesday.
The Straits Exchange Foundation – a semi-official Taiwanese body that handles technical and business affairs with mainland China – said permits were issued on Monday to the families.
The foundation “will also send personnel to Kinmen to provide humanitarian care to the mainland family members who will arrive in Kinmen on February 20 and assist them in handling the aftermath”, it said.
The February 14 incident took place against a backdrop of heightened tensions between mainland China and Taiwan, a self-ruled island that Beijing claims as part of its territory.


Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control, and in recent years ramped up the 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.
Taiwan also had a presidential election in January won by the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te – a candidate Beijing considers a “separatist”.


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Taiwan

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Taiwanese coast guards inspect a vessel that capsized during a chase off the coast of Kinmen archipelago on February 14. Photo: Taiwan Coast Guard Administration via AP

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Philippines Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo. Photo: SCMP/David Wong

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News

China

Taipei’s coastguard says six mainland officers went on the vessel. ‘After inspecting the ship certificate … they left’
Beijing had said it would step up patrols following a boat incident in which two Chinese nationals died last week


Taipei’s coastguard says six mainland officers went on the vessel. ‘After inspecting the ship certificate … they left’.


South China Sea

US-China relations

Diplomacy

Defence