TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Amid rising tensions between Taiwan and China over maritime disputes, the U.S. State Department on Tuesday (Feb. 20) urged "restraint."

Cross-strait disputes over the waters around Xiamen and Kinmen have heated up, raising regional tensions. On Feb. 14, a speedboat from China illegally entered Taiwan's territorial waters near Kinmen, resulting in a pursuit by the Coast Guard Administration and the capsizing of the boat, leading to two deaths.

On Sunday (Feb. 18), the Chinese coast guard announced that the Fujian coast guard would strengthen its maritime law enforcement capabilities and conduct regular law enforcement patrols in the Xiamen-Kinmen area. The Taiwanese sightseeing boat "King Xia" was boarded for inspection by Chinese coast guard officers on Monday (Feb. 19) after it strayed near China's territorial waters.

A Chinese coast guard ship entered the restricted waters of Kinmen on Tuesday (Feb. 20) and the CGA dispatched vessels to follow it and drive it away.

When asked at a press conference on Tuesday whether the White House is concerned about the escalating tensions in the waters around Kinmen, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the U.S. is closely monitoring China's actions. "We continue to urge restraint and no unilateral change to the status quo, which has preserved peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and throughout the region for decades," said Miller.

He also urged China to "engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan to reduce the risk of miscalculation." Miller said that the U.S. along with other countries in the region and around the world are aligned in recognizing a long-term interest in maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole, which has implications for global security and prosperity.