Taiwan says it was warned by China to not interfere in the detention of Taiwanese boat crew

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan said Wednesday that China warned Taiwan’s coast guard against interfering in the detention of a Taiwanese fishing boat, in what is seen as Beijing’s latest attempt to encroach on Taiwanese territory.

The incident comes amid heightened political tensions following the election of President William Lai Ching-te, whose party rejects unification with the mainland, and an apparent threat by Beijing to execute supporters of Taiwanese independence.

Taiwan’s coast guard repeated its call for the release of the boat and its crew members who were taken from waters off the Taiwanese-controlled island of Kinmen just off the Chinese coast on Tuesday night. That call is complicated by China’s refusal to communicate with Taiwan’s government.

A spokesperson for Taiwan’s coast guard, Hsieh Ching-chin, said the boat was not in Chinese waters when it was boarded by Chinese agents and steered to a port in the Chinese province of Fujian.

“First, we call on the (Chinese side) to provide an explanation, and second to release the boat and its crew,” Hsieh said.

The Dajinman 88 was intercepted by two Chinese vessels, and Taiwan dispatched three vessels to help but the one that got close to the fishing boat was blocked by three Chinese boats and told not to interfere, the coast guard’s initial statement said.

Hsieh said four other Chinese boats joined in the operation, a sign of the massive expansion in recent years of China’s navy, coast guard and maritime militia.

The pursuit was called off to avoid escalating the conflict, Hsieh said.

The boat had a captain and five other crew members, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency. The crew are Taiwanese and Indonesian.

The vessel was just over 20 kilometers