Fishing dispute sparks Taiwan Strait stand-off

Three Chinese fishing authority patrol boats intercepted the Taiwanese vessels in the strait early Saturday morning, a statement by Taiwan’s Coastguard Administration said.

China insisted that the six vessels had entered its territory and were illegally fishing in an area which is not meant to be fished from June to September each year, the statement said.

The Taiwanese boats, which were some 47 nautical miles (87 kilometers) southwest of a Taiwan-controlled islet in the strait, were then chased by the Chinese authorities and forced to sail towards China at gunpoint, it added.

Four patrol boats and a helicopter from Taiwan’s coastguards were then scrambled to try and rescue the fishing vessels, sparking a stand-off between the two sides which lasted for several hours, before China eventually agreed to release the six fishing vessels, it said.

“They agreed to let go the six vessels but asked us to inform Taiwanese fishermen not to intrude the water during the temporary fishing ban period,” Henry Lin, from the Maritime Patrol Directorate General, told AFP.

However, Lin said initial investigations indicated that the six Taiwanese fishing boats were operating in international

waters when the incident occurred.

Taiwan and China, split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, are still technically at war despite the commencement of civil contacts in 1987.

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