China ramps up patrols near Taiwan’s outlying islands following death of Chinese fishermen

Hong Kong CNN —

China is increasing patrols in waters near a group of frontline islands controlled by Taiwan, as tensions rise after two Chinese fishermen drowned during a pursuit by Taiwan’s coast guard who accused them of trespassing.

China’s coast guard said Sunday its Fujian division will strengthen maritime law enforcement and carry out “regular patrols” in waters around the Chinese city of Xiamen and Taiwan’s Kinmen islands, which lie just miles apart.

The move is aimed at “further maintaining the order of operations in the relevant waters and protecting the lives and property of fishermen,” Gan Yu, a spokesperson for China’s coast guard, said in a statement.

The patrols are likely to put Chinese coast guard vessels in closer proximity to their Taiwanese counterparts, potentially raising the risk of miscalculation and conflict.

The escalation came days after a Chinese speedboat capsized while attempting to flee from Taiwan’s coast guard, which said it had trespassed to fish in waters about 1 nautical mile off Kinmen’s coast.

Four crew members fell into the water. Two survived after being rescued by Taiwan’s coast guard, while the other two were found unconscious and confirmed dead after being taken to the hospital in Kinmen.

Beijing has issued strongly-worded condemnations and blamed Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for the deaths, claiming it had used “various excuses to forcefully seize mainland fishing boats and treat mainland fishermen roughly and dangerously.”

“Such a vicious incident seriously hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait” during the Lunar New Year holiday – a time for family reunions celebrated in both mainland China and Taiwan, China’s Taiwan