Taiwan Says It Will Continue To Expel Chinese Vessels Entering Its Waters
Taiwan’s government says it will continue defending its territorial waters in response to Beijing saying it would send more coast guard ships around Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 The waters may be calm, but it's an uneasy time for fishermen on this small group of
00:06 islands just kilometres from the Chinese coast.
00:10 After the death of two Chinese nationals in these waters, Beijing says it will be sending
00:14 its coast guard into this area and enforcing its maritime law.
00:19 It's pushed the Jimin Islands into the centre of an escalating crisis between Taipei and
00:23 Beijing, which claims the islands and the rest of Taiwan as its sovereign territory.
00:29 "At this time, we must be careful and safe.
00:34 We must try not to have any contact with the mainland fishing boats.
00:40 We have no choice because this is a problem between the government and the government."
00:46 The two Chinese fishermen drowned after their speedboat capsized as Taiwanese coast guard
00:50 chased them out of Taiwan's waters.
00:53 Two other Chinese nationals and their boat are still in Taiwan custody.
00:56 "Taiwan is an integral part of the mainland.
01:02 There is no such thing as a ban on fishing.
01:06 The Taiwanese should release the boats and people as soon as possible and do a good job
01:10 of post-credits."
01:11 Taiwan has reiterated that it is not subordinate to Beijing and remains steadfast on protecting
01:16 its maritime borders.
01:19 The government agency dealing with China said "our authorities will expel or detain vessels
01:23 crossing our border in accordance with the law."
01:26 This has been the case in the past and will continue to enforce the law in the future.
01:33 This latest spat is not an isolated incident.
01:37 China has been increasingly pushing its claims over Taiwan, sending military boats and planes
01:41 to intimidate the self-ruled island nation.
01:45 And cross-strait ties have recently soured further.
01:49 Last month Taiwan elected into office Lai Ching-de, a man that strongly rejects China's
01:53 claims and says Taiwan is already an independent nation.
01:57 Beijing labels him a dangerous separatist.
02:00 "The PRC is not happy with Lai Ching-de's election and I think they are trying to put
02:07 pressure on Taipei right now to see if they can get any concessions or if they can force
02:14 Lai into making a mistake."
02:17 The possibility of war between China and Taiwan hangs heavy over the strait.
02:21 Nowhere more so than here, on the islands of Jinmen.
02:24 Fears are mounting that a mistake in this particularly sensitive area could be what
02:29 sparks that conflict.
02:31 Leon Lien and Rick Lowat for Taiwan Plus.
02:33 [BLANK_AUDIO]