Two Chinese fishermen drowned while being chased away by the Taiwanese coast guard off the coast of Kinmen on Wednesday. Kinmen is a group of islands located just six miles away from mainland China.
According to Taiwanese authorities, the fishermen had trespassed into their waters and resisted an inspection of the boat. This led to a chase, during which the boat with four fishermen onboard capsized. Two of them drowned after falling into the sea, while the other two were rescued.
"The other two are in stable condition and have been brought to Kinmen for further investigation by prosecutors," the coastguard said.
China has condemned Taiwan for the incident and, in a statement, said that it has "seriously hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait".
China's Taiwan Affairs Office has urged Taiwanese authorities to launch an investigation into the incident. A spokesperson for the office also accused Taiwan of "using various excuses to forcefully seize Chinese fishing vessels and using violent and dangerous methods against Chinese fishermen".
"We warn the relevant parties in Taiwan to respect the historical fact that fishermen from both sides of the Taiwan Strait operate in the traditional fishing areas of the Taiwan Strait and ensure the personal safety of mainland fishermen, effectively preventing the recurrence of such incidents," TIME quoted Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office, as saying.
Meanwhile, Taiwan has claimed that it has been seeing an increase in the presence of Chinese vessels in its waters.
The incident comes amid rising tensions between both sides. It has also sparked outrage in China, with people taking to Weibo to express their anger.
Some of the social media users have even called for action against Taiwan. "If it's not possible to attack Taiwan now, it's not difficult to severely punish Taiwan for its evil deeds, given our current strength," read a post on Weibo.
China has ramped up economic, military, and diplomatic pressure on the island over the last few years; however, military tensions between Beijing and Taipei are at their peak right now.
China considers Taiwan to be its breakaway province. It has never ruled out the use of force to bring Taipei under its control. Taiwan has been on alert since Russia invaded Ukraine, and it believes that China could make a similar move.
The country lives under the constant threat of invasion and has taken several steps to strengthen its defence.
