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China’s coast guard has confiscated a Taiwanese fishing vessel near the Taipei-controlled island of Kinmen, according to the Taiwan government, in a sharp escalation of tensions between the two sides.
Taiwan’s coast guard said the captain of the Ta Chin Man 88 called it for help on Tuesday night after the Chinese coast guard stopped and boarded his vessel for inspection while he was fishing north-east of Kinmen, which is located just off China’s coast.
Taiwanese coast guard ships sent to provide emergency assistance to the fishing boat were blocked by Chinese coast guard vessels and told not to interfere.
“In order not to escalate the conflict, the pursuit was aborted,” Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement.
The Taiwanese fishing vessel, its captain and crew of five foreign workers were taken to the nearby Chinese port of Weitou, it added.
The Taiwan coast guard said the vessel had operated close to the Chinese coast during a ban on summer fishing imposed by Beijing.
The latest incident further undermines Taipei’s ability to ensure maritime safety in waters around the Kinmen islands that it has controlled since its Republic of China government fled to Taiwan following its defeat in the Chinese civil war in 1949.
It could also stoke fears more broadly about potential Chinese interference with shipping around Taiwan itself.
China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to attack if Taipei refuses to submit to its control indefinitely.
Beijing is increasing the pressure on Taiwan with continuous military exercises close to its borders.
Taipei also fears that China will try to erode its sovereignty by undermining its effective jurisdiction at sea.
After two Chinese fishermen drowned during pursuit by Taiwan coast guard ships as they fished illegally off Kinmen in February, Beijing forces boarded and inspected a Taiwanese tourist boat nearby.
Since then, Chinese coast guard vessels have begun regularly patrolling waters around the islands declared as being off limits by Taipei — a ban that China previously respected.
“They are now sailing in the restricted waters around Kinmen almost every day,” a senior Taiwanese national security official said last week.
During military exercises around Taiwan in May, Chinese coast guard ships simulated the boarding and inspection of vessels near Taiwan for the first time.
That move and Beijing’s regular patrols around Kinmen have fuelled concerns in Taipei that the Chinese government is seeking to undermine confidence in the safety of commercial shipping around Taiwan.
Analysts believe that a blockade of Taiwan is one of Beijing’s options to weaken Taipei.
Taiwan is highly dependent on energy and food imports, and is one of the world’s largest exporters of technology hardware products — particularly high-end semiconductors. The waters around it are among the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Taiwan’s government said it would seek consultations with China about the fishing vessel confiscated on Tuesday.
It appealed to Beijing to “refrain from political manipulation which will damage cross-strait relations”, and to release the vessel and crew.
The Chinese government did not immediately comment on the incident.