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Taiwan
ChinaPolitics

Could the fatal Taiwan coastguard chase be used to chart a course to ease cross-strait tensions?

  • Mainland China officials went to Quemoy to address the deaths of two fishermen after a chase by the Taiwan coastguard
  • Observers say that while the tragedy could see tensions escalate even more, it could be used as an ‘opportunity’ to open lines of communication

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After a February 14 chase by Taiwan coastguard of a mainland fishing vessel ended with the tragic deaths of two men, observers say it highlights the need for more open lines of communication between Beijing and Taipei. Photo: Coast Guard Administration’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch
Lawrence Chungin Taipei

It was a rare instance of recent official contact.

On Tuesday, Beijing sent officials to Taiwan-controlled Quemoy to deal with the aftermath of a boat chase by the Taiwanese coastguard that ended in the death of two mainland Chinese fishermen.

The fishermen had died just under a week earlier after the island’s coastguard chased their speedboat that Taiwan said had been trespassing in its waters. The speedboat – which was being used for fishing – flipped over during the chase and two of the four men on board were killed.

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To retrieve the two surviving fishermen, a 10-member delegation arrived in Quemoy, led by Li Zhaohui, deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office in Quanzhou, Fujian province.

The group, which also included six bereaved family members, a lawyer and two local Red Cross officials, organised the passage of the two survivors back to Quanzhou on the same day.

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The retrieval went without incident, raising the possibility for further, much-needed official contact and crisis management between the two sides, according to some analysts.

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