Beijing holding ‘Taiwanese soldier’ who ‘lied about identity’ after being picked up by mainland Chinese coastguards

The Taiwan Affairs Office says the man was picked up along with a companion off the coast of Fujian province on Monday after their boat lost power

Mainland authorities said they had discovered he was a member of the Taiwanese armed forces who had ‘intentionally concealed’ his occupation

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Quemoy and other Taiwanese-controlled islands are just a few kilometres from the mainland coast. Photo: AFP

Published: 6:30pm, 22 Mar 2024Updated: 8:23pm, 22 Mar 2024

Beijing says it is holding a Taiwanese soldier who was rescued by mainland Chinese coastguards earlier this week and then tried to conceal his real identity.

Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that man, identified only by the surname Hu, was one of two people rescued by coastguards off the coast of Fujian province early on Monday after they called for help when their small fishing boat lost power in Weitou Bay.

Chen said Hu turned out to be an active member of the Taiwanese military who “failed to truthfully disclose his identity and intentionally concealed occupational information”, according to state news agency Xinhua.

“Relevant departments need to further verify and understand the situation,” he added.

Beijing did not offer any information regarding Hu’s legal status, nor did it specify which mainland departments are involved in “verifying” the situation.

The two were picked up near the Taiwanese island of Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, which is just a few kilometres away from the mainland coast.

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