Beijing strengthens controls and patrols in the Taiwan Strait
The Chinese coast guard boarded a Taiwanese tourist ferry carrying 23 passengers for an excursion around Kinmen Island. Tension does not fall in the Taiwan Strait, quite the contrary.
Taiwanese coast guard in the port of Kinmen, February 20, 2024. © ANN WANG / REUTERS
By: RFI Follow
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China has stepped up
its
air and sea patrols. 24 Chinese warplanes have been detected in the last 24 hours around the island. On Monday, Chinese officers boarded a Taiwanese cruise ship to monitor the itinerary, verify the ship's certificate, the licenses of the captain and the 11 crew members, before letting the ferry continue on its route.
Fatal incident
These displays of force follow the deadly naval incident almost a week ago, which occurred near Kinmen, an island administered by Taipei but located just a few kilometers from mainland China. After a chase between Taiwanese coast guards and a Chinese speedboat, which was sailing in a prohibited zone, the boat capsized and two Chinese fishermen drowned, provoking the ire of Beijing. Following this naval incident, China announced that it would strengthen its patrols in Taiwanese waters.
“
Let’s resolve the matter peacefully
”
Taiwan
on Tuesday called on China to be rational and fair and cooperate to ensure the security of the maritime waters of Kinmen and Xiamen. And to avoid an escalation of the conflict, Taipei clarified that surveillance of these maritime zones would continue to be carried out by the coast guard and that the army would not get further involved. “
If we intervene, the conflict will escalate, which we do not want
,” Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters. “
Let us resolve the issue peacefully
,” he insisted.
Read also Taiwan flown over two days in a row by eight Chinese balloons
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