Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay
Following a sea chase by Taiwan's coastguard, two Chinese fishermen died, and after months of negotiations, Taiwan and China "reached an agreement" on how to respond, according to Taipei.
According to sources, the deal includes returning the victims' corpses to China and paying compensation to the victims' relatives. Taiwan's coast guard refused to provide information.Beijing claims the Taiwan Strait, which is a sensitive area, and the agreement may ease tensions there.
Following the incident in February, which it denounced as "malicious," China began conducting routine patrols around Taiwan's Kinmen islands.
According to Beijing's coastguard, the purpose of the routine patrols was to "maintain operational order in sea areas and safeguard fishermen’s lives and property" in February.
Four persons were on a fishing boat that trespassed into Taiwanese waters off Kinmen on February 14 and refused inspection, including the two men who died.
When Taiwanese officials pursued, the boat overturned, and the two fisherman perished while attempting to escape.
In the past, Beijing and Taipei were more accommodating to one another's fishing boats, particularly in the area of Taiwan's offshore islands, which are very near to the Chinese coast. The northernmost archipelago of Taiwan, Kinmen, is only 3 km (1.9 mi) from China.
But in recent years Taiwan has been enforcing its own waters more strictly - a response to what it says is a massive increase in poaching by fishermen from China's coastal Fujian province.
Kinmen residents have reported seeing an increased presence of Chinese dredging vessels in its vicinity.
For months, Taiwanese officials had been encouraged by China's Taiwan Affairs Office to look into the tragedy and provide support to the relatives of the victims. Additionally, Taiwan, which is self-governing and seen by Beijing as a province that may one day secede from China, was charged of "using various excuses to forcefully seize Chinese fishing vessels".
Taiwan has urged Beijing to "restrain similar behaviours" on its waterways and justified the actions of its coast guard.
Chang Chung-lung, the director of Taiwan's coast guard, expressed regret to the relatives of the victims on Tuesday, saying that they were sorry "for the suffering [they] endured" and "for not recording evidence in this case."
Hsieh Chin-chin, the deputy director-general of the Coast Guard Administration, stated that both parties "will actively implement the agreed consensus as quickly as possible".
"We respect the families and the content of the consensus, so we are unable to provide further details," Mr. Hsieh said.
A representative for Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council disclosed that private contributors will cover the costs of the settlement, emphasizing that this will not affect the findings of the inquiry into what transpired and who was at fault.
Taiwan should "actively implement the terms of the agreement to provide peace of mind to the victims and offer an explanation to their families," according to a statement from Beijing.
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