STORY: :: Taiwan Coast Guard

:: Taiwan calls on China to release a seized

Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew

:: July 3, 2024

:: Hsieh Ching-chin, Deputy Director-General, Taiwan Coast Guard Administration

"The coast guard calls on the mainland side not to use political factors to handle this situation. Please clarify the reasons as soon as possible and release the boat and people."

:: Taipei, Taiwan

"The incident happened within China's inner sea. The location where the ship was boarded is 11.2 miles away from Shenhu Town in Jinjiang, China, and is located in China's territorial waters. According to the owner of the fishing vessel, China's side had broadcasted a warning telling them not to carry out activities during the no-fishing period before they boarded the vessel last night (July 2). We hope China will explain the reason for the inspection soon."

Chinese officials boarded and then seized the fishing boat operating near China's coast close to a Taiwan-controlled island and took it to a Chinese port, Taiwan's coast guard said.

The squid fishing boat was near the Taiwan-administered Kinmen islands, which sit next to the Chinese cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, Taiwan's coast guard said. It was operating during China's no-fishing period, officials said, adding Taiwan will communicate with China and urge them to release the fishermen as soon as possible.

Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin told reporters in Taipei that China should explain why it had seized the boat, and pointed out that in previous cases, fishermen had been released after paying fines when operating during China's no-fishing season.

It is not uncommon for Taiwan and China to detain each other's trespassing fishing boats. So far this year Taiwan has detained five such boats from China, Taiwan coast guard data shows.