Taiwan demands return of officer rescued by China on ‘fishing trip’

After the engine of their boat failed, two military officers from Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen island were found by China’s Fujian Province Coastguard as the men lost contact during what they called a “fishing vacation”.

Chinese authorities said one of them, surnamed Hu, was an active member of Taiwan’s military and was accused of deliberately hiding his identity.

Taiwan called on Saturday for one of the men’s return after confirming that Hu was part of the Kinmen Garrison Brigade. The other man, surnamed Wu, was taken back to Kinmen by Taiwan’s coast guard on Saturday.

In a statement, Kinmen’s Defense Command (KDC) said, “(Hu) went fishing during his vacation and lost contact due to heavy fog. He contacted his family and service unit that he was rescued by the Chinese coast guard and is safe.”

The statement added that they were working with other agencies and hoped “for the safe return of its personnel to Kinmen as soon as possible on humanitarian grounds.”

Read more: Taiwan confirms US forces stationed on front line islands with China

The KDC told its troops “to refrain from participating in various risky activities during their vacation.”

More verification needed

Video footage shared by Kinmen lawmaker Chen Yu-jen, who was present at the dock at the time, showed Wu being greeted by his tearful mother with a hug when he arrived back.

Meanwhile, Hu’s mother expressed her hope to reporters that China would allow family members to go visit him.

“Our hearts are filled with anxiety when we can’t see him in person, although my son has sent a message saying he is safe,” she said.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office relayed to the Chinese state news agency Xinhua that Hu continues to be held “to further verify and understand the situation.”

This comes after a fishing boat last month from the southern Chinese province of Fujian was forced to leave the waters near Kinmen, resulting in all four crew members being thrown into the sea. The Taiwanese coast guard rescued all the fishermen, who were subsequently hospitalized.

Unfortunately, two of them succumbed to their injuries. The remaining two fishermen are in stable condition and are staying on Kinmen as authorities continue to investigate the incident.

The Chinese Coast Guard in Fujian province plans to enhance maritime law enforcement and carry out routine patrols to “safeguard order in the pertinent maritime regions and guarantee the safety of fishing crews’ lives and property,” as stated by Gan Yu, China’s Coast Guard Spokesperson , on WeChat.

Inevitable reunification

Beijing has repeatedly affirmed its position that Taiwan belongs to mainland China, citing historical context, and has constantly affirmed its opposition to Washington’s increasingly hostile policies in the South China Sea and its encroaching on its geopolitical sphere, particularly regarding the island.

In his New Year’s address last December, Chinese President Xi Jinping adamantly declared the reunification of Taiwan inevitable.

“Compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose and share in the glory of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation,” he said then.

This came shortly after Xi Jinping told US President Joe Biden in a November summit in San Francisco that China will ultimately reunify with Taiwan, albeit on an undetermined timeline.

Meanwhile, the United States has repeatedly claimed it adhered to the One China policy, which is a nonnegotiable prerequisite to any diplomatic relations with Beijing. While Washington has no official diplomatic ties with the island, it has signed a series of military and arms agreements, all explicitly directed against China.

The Taiwan Relations Act, signed in 1979, commits the United States to supply weapons to the island and any services it needs to “defend itself from China.” However, Washington remains extremely vague about whether it would directly join Taiwan in any war with China or would assume a less involved role.

Biden has repeatedly said the United States would “defend Taiwan”, but US officials have claimed there is no change to the American official policy.