Following the deaths of two Chinese people in a boat incident involving Taiwan’s coast guard, China said on Sunday that it would increase law enforcement patrols in waterways adjacent to Taiwan.
As the Taiwanese coast guard pursued it on Wednesday, a Chinese boat carrying four people overturned close to the Kinmen islands.
Two of the ship’s crew members perished after the four were pushed into the ocean.
In the region, the Chinese Coast Guard declared that it will “carry out normal law enforcement patrol operations.”
Chinese Coast Guard spokesperson Gan Yu stated in a statement that the patrols’ goals are to “further maintain the prohibition of operations in the relevant waters while guaranteeing the safety of fishermen’s lives.”
China has called for the release of the two boat crew members who are still alive but were imprisoned after the event and has denounced democratic Taiwan over the tragedy.
Beijing was then held accountable by Taipei, which claimed that the boat was “within prohibited waters” near the Kinmen islands, which are governed by Taiwan but are only five kilometers from the Chinese city of Xiamen.
The event on Wednesday occurs amid a background of increased hostilities spanning the Taiwan Strait.
Beijing has declared that Taiwan is a part of its territory and that it will eventually subjugate the independent island.
Beijing regards Taiwan’s January presidential winner, Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party, as a “separatist.”
In recent years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has increased the rhetoric in favor of Taiwan’s “unification” with China.
Additionally, Beijing has increased the amount of military hardware it stationed close to Taiwan, deploying naval ships and fighter jets almost every day.
