Taiwan Says China Has Triggered 'Panic' With Coast Guard Escalation
The small Taiwan-governed islands of Kinmen have become the latest flashpoint in escalating tensions between Beijing and Taipei.
Transcript
00:00 56-year-old Lu Wenshong has been fishing the waters of Taiwan's Tiananmen Islands for three
00:05 decades, but today he chose to stay far from China's maritime border. China Coast Guard
00:11 ships lurk a few nautical miles from here and have been intercepting Taiwanese vessels.
00:16 It's all part of a rapidly worsening spat between Taiwan and China, which claims Taiwan
00:21 as part of its territory.
00:22 "We can talk about the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. We can talk about it. But we can't
00:29 fight. We can't let the situation get out of hand. We have to solve it. We have to see
00:34 how we can work together. We can't let these people come out and make a scene."
00:36 Just a day before, China Coast Guard intercepted and boarded a Taiwan tourist boat. They spent
00:41 half an hour checking the cruise documents before letting the boat go. Those on board
00:45 feared they could be taken to China.
00:47 "The boat we boarded was a victim of the people's feelings. It caused people to be
00:54 afraid."
00:57 This is all in response to the death of two Chinese nationals near Jinmen. Their speed
01:01 boat capsized as Taiwan Coast Guard chased them out of territorial waters.
01:06 But it also comes as Beijing increases pressure on the self-ruled island nation to submit
01:10 to Chinese rule, sending military boats and planes into areas around Taiwan, making the
01:16 Jinmen Islands particularly vulnerable.
01:18 These islands of just over 100,000 people are hundreds of kilometres from Taiwan's
01:23 capital Taipei. But they're just a short ferry ride from the Chinese city of Xiamen.
01:28 The people here have long had strong economic and personal links with China. These ties
01:33 are now at risk as these islands find themselves at the centre of an escalating geopolitical
01:38 situation.
01:40 People here make a living selling the fish they catch directly to the Chinese market.
01:44 And through tourism geared towards welcoming Chinese visitors. This, despite the fact there
01:49 has been no government-level communication between Taipei and Beijing in years. When
01:54 tensions rise like this, the people of Jinmen feel helpless.
01:58 "We have to find a way to resolve this. We can't just sit there and fight. We're
02:05 just unlucky. It's like we're just venting our anger on the people of this island."
02:17 The Renau fears that by exerting its authority in these waters, Beijing is trying to create
02:21 a new normal that shrinks Taiwan's space. And it's the people here in Jinmen who are
02:27 most feeling that pressure. Their daily lives at the mercy of China's determination to change
02:32 a delicate but long-established status quo.
02:36 Karma Hsu, P.T. Chuang and Rick Lowat in Jinmen for Taiwan Plus.
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