TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and China reached a consensus on Tuesday (July 30) following the deaths of two Chinese fishermen whose boat capsized while the Taiwan Coast Guard was pursuing them off Kinmen in February.
The agreement was reached at a meeting in Kinmen, after which the deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told reporters the bodies of the fishermen and their boat will be returned. He did not say if the families would receive compensation from Taiwan.
Liang said he and his team had come to pay their respects to the families of the deceased and that a satisfactory outcome for the relatives had been reached during the negotiations.
He also commented on an apology made by the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration Deputy Head Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) after the incident. Liang said Hsieh’s meaning was to apologize for the Coast Guard’s failure to wear body cameras when the deaths occurred, giving rise to disagreement about what happened.
Liang said the incident was accidental and that the Coast Guard has maintained this position since. He said the MAC has expressed concern for the families, but he stopped short of making a direct apology.
Asked if the Chinese relatives thought that the deaths were a result of a deliberate action by Taiwan’s Coast Guard, Liang said, “Of course, at the outset, both sides had different views,” adding that "with communication, we have reached a relatively satisfactory outcome.”
Li Zhaohui (李朝暉), deputy director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao Affairs Office in Quanzhou, said he hopes “relevant parties in Taiwan” will implement the agreement, though he provided no further details.
A public memorial ceremony for the fishermen who died in the incident was held after negotiations, which representatives of both sides attended. The negotiations were initially scheduled for July 24 but were postponed because of Typhoon Gaemi.
