Taiwanese should have greater faith in the government’s investigation into the capsizing of a Chinese vessel that resulted in the death of two Chinese fishers last week, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan abides by the rule of law.
On Wednesday last week, a Chinese speedboat was spotted trespassing in “prohibited” waters within 1.1 nautical miles (2km) of the east coast of Kinmen. It fled after refusing the coast guard’s request to board the vessel, setting off a chase that led to the boat capsizing, with two Chinese fishers dying. Two survivors were deported back to China on Tuesday after Kinmen prosecutors questioned them.
Kinmen District Chief Prosecutor Shih Chia-jung (施家榮) said that the office cannot confirm or deny whether a CGA ship had collided with the Chinese boat multiple times during the pursuit.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
A preliminary investigation showed that the CGA vessel did not have ship-borne recording equipment, the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office said.
The crew member tasked with recording could not access the handheld equipment due to the high-speed chase, while the captain was occupied with navigation and two other crew were preparing to board the speedboat, the coast guard said.
The CGA said it would assist the family members of the deceased fishers, and would comply with investigations.
In a regional press call, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that Washington has been clear on its stance on maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Although he declined to comment specifically on the Kinmen incident, he said that the US is “against any kind of action, by any party, that undermines that peace and stability.”
At a news briefing on Tuesday, US Department of State spokesman Matthew Miller said that Washington is closely monitoring Beijing’s actions, while it continues to “urge restraint and no unilateral change to the status quo.”
The US also urged China to engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan to reduce the risk of miscalculation, Miller said.
In Taipei, the Ministry of National Defense said that it has no intention to “directly intervene” in an ongoing maritime dispute with Beijing to avoid escalating tensions.
Ministry joint operations planning section Captain Lee Chang-fu (李昌富) said the case that triggered the dispute is under the jurisdiction of the CGA and is under investigation.
The military is keeping a close eye on the situation and would let the CGA do its job based on the principles of “no direct involvement, no escalating of tension,” he said.
The military has elected not to bolster defenses in the Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands following the incident, Lee said, adding that the military has contingency measures in place should tensions with China escalate.
“Our navy and the defense forces of the outlying islands will conduct exercises and preparations in response to the situation,” ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said. “In the face of the threat, we hope the situation can be effectively and properly handled.”
Ministry intelligence officer Colonel Huang Ming-chieh (黃明傑) said there was currently “nothing abnormal” in China’s military movements around Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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