TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) blamed Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) policies towards Chinese fishing vessels as the main reason for the deaths of two Chinese nationals on Wednesday (Feb. 14) after a speedboat capsized off Kinmen, the exact cause of which is still under investigation.
The TAO statement was released just before midnight on Wednesday after the deaths occurred at around 2 p.m. off the Taiwan-controlled islands of Kinmen, situated just kilometers off China’s coast. The TAO said China expressed “strong condemnation against the Taiwan side for a vicious incident that damaged goodwill on both sides of the strait during the Spring Festival period.”
On Thursday, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said it was “deeply sorry” for the incident, which occurred after the speedboat failed to stop for inspection and sped away from the Coast Guard patrol. Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) said he has been in contact with Chinese authorities and will inform them when the results of an investigation are available.
Two of the boat’s four passengers were rescued by the Coast Guard. Reports on Wednesday said the pair were in a stable condition in a Kinmen hospital.
The Coast Guard said the boat that capsized had no documentation and was not registered under any name. It said these boats are a common concern for both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and both sides will strengthen measures to prevent such vessels from operating in the strait.
Members of Taiwan's Coast Guard attend to a capsized speedboat that sailed from China on Wednesday. (CNA, Kinmen Coast Guard photo)