TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan said the Chinese coast guard boarded a Taiwanese fishing boat on Tuesday and sent it to a port in mainland China. The coast guard demanded that Beijing release the vessel.
The Dajinman 88 was intercepted by two Chinese vessels on Tuesday evening near the Kinmen archipelago, which is a short distance from the Chinese coast but under Taiwan’s control, Taiwanese maritime authorities said in a statement.
Taiwan sent two ships to rescue the Dajinman 88 but was blocked by Chinese boats and told not to intervene, the statement said. The pursuit was called off to prevent the conflict from escalating, the statement added.
“The Coast Guard calls on the mainland to refrain from engaging in political manipulation and damaging relations between the two sides of the Strait, and to release the Dajinman ship and its crew as soon as possible,” the statement said.
The boat was carrying six crew members, including the captain and five migrant workers, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency. The vessel was just over 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Jinjiang on mainland China when it was boarded, Taiwanese authorities said.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and says the island should come under its control. The Chinese military regularly sends fighter jets and ships to the island and in May held a large exercise involving dozens of planes and ships.
Fishermen from both Taiwan and China regularly sail the waters near the Kinmen Archipelago. Tensions have risen as the number of Chinese vessels, including sand dredgers and fishing boats, in the area has increased significantly.
