Two Chinese citizens were killed and two others were injured during an attempt by a boat, with Chinese citizens on board, to escape from a Taiwanese Coast Guard ship, near the Taiwanese islands near the Chinese mainland.
This development prompted the Chinese government to say that “there are no limits or no-go zones for fishing around a group of Taiwanese islands close to the coast of China,” and that Beijing reserves the right to take further measures.
On Thursday, Taiwan defended the actions of the Coast Guard after the death of two people on board a Chinese speedboat that approached a Taiwanese island near the Chinese coast, when their boat capsized while they were trying to escape from a Coast Guard ship, and two others survived.
Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory, has complained in the past few years about Chinese fishing boats and other vessels operating in Taiwan-controlled waters, especially around the Kinmen and Matsu Islands, which are located not far from the coast of China, according to Reuters.
Late on Saturday, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which has already condemned Taipei over the incident near Beding Island in Kinmen, said the killing of the two people had caused “extreme indignation” in China.
“Fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been working in traditional fishing grounds in the Xiamen-Kinmen Marine Area since ancient times, and there is no such thing as prohibited or closed waters,” he added, according to Reuters.
Kinmen, which has been controlled by Taiwan since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, is located next to the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said the government has good will toward the people of Taiwan, but will never tolerate Taiwan’s disregard for the safety of Chinese fishermen.
“The mainland reserves the right to take further measures, and Taiwan will bear all consequences,” he added, without elaborating.
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