Chinese authorities' labeling of speedboat incident 'unnecessary': MAC

Taipei, Aug. 1 (CNA) Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday that the labeling of the Kinmen speedboat incident is "unnecessary," in response to a statement by Chinese authorities describing the incident as a "malicious collision."

Negotiations on Tuesday to settle outstanding issues relating to the incident, which left two Chinese nationals dead on Feb. 14, was between the parties involved across the Taiwan Strait, said MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) at a press conference.

The negotiation between Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) and the families of the two deceased Chinese sailors, included reaching a consensus on issues such as compensation, the return of the bodies and the return of the vessel, Liang added.

"As for the many labelings (of the incident) by outsiders, I believe they are unnecessary," Liang said, noting that both sides have shown goodwill.

He expressed hope that as the incident has been resolved, both sides can now "come closer together and avoid returning to such a tense situation."

Liang made the remarks after being asked to respond to a statement by Chinese State Council Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) on Wednesday, which stated that the Kinmen speedboat incident was a "malicious collision" event.

The basic facts of the incident are that Taiwan coast guard personnel employed a "brutal and dangerous" method to treat mainland fishermen that resulted in casualties, according to the TAO statement.

The Kinmen speedboat incident occurred on Feb. 14 when Taiwan's Coast Guard pursued a Chinese speedboat that entered prohibited waters off the coast of the Taiwan-held outlying Kinmen islands.

According to the CGA, the unnamed and unregistered Chinese boat with four people on board refused a request to board and inspect it, and later fled, setting off a high-speed chase which ended when the vessel made a sudden turn.

The speedboat collided with a CGA patrol vessel and capsized in waters near Kinmen while being pursued, leading to the deaths of two Chinese crew members. The incident raised tensions around Kinmen, located less than 10 kilometers off the coast of the Chinese city of Xiamen.

Meanwhile, Liang was also asked about developments in two other incidents concerning the Taiwanese fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 and an angler surnamed Hu (胡), both involving Taiwan nationals detained in China.

Although Liang did not provide specific updates regarding the return of the vessel's crew members and the angler, he said that the Da Jin Man No. 88 incident occurred because the vessel violated China's regulations on a fishing moratorium and the Chinese authorities will handle it according to their laws, while describing the detention of Hu as "utterly unreasonable."

"He (Hu) was first rescued at sea in a humanitarian effort, but this humanitarian rescue turned into an unlawful detention," Liang said, emphasizing the four-month detention is "completely uncivilized."

He said that after the resolution of the Kinmen speedboat incident, the MAC hopes for better outcomes regarding the release of the individuals detained in the two incidents, "but we need to see actual action (from the Chinese side) to be sure (about their returns)."

Hu and another angler surnamed Wu (吳) from Kinmen were detained by Chinese authorities after they lost their way during a fishing trip and were rescued by the Chinese coast guard on March 17.

Wu and his fishing boat were handed over to the Kinmen coast guard by Chinese officials on March 23, but Hu, an active soldier whose retirement was approved on May 8, has not yet been released by the Chinese authorities.

The Taiwanese fishing vessel Da Jin Man No. 88 was boarded and seized by China Coast Guard personnel at a location outside Taiwan-controlled "restricted waters" off the Kinmen islands on July 2, according the CGA.

The vessel, along with its two Taiwanese and three Indonesian crew members, were detained by the Chinese authorities for illegally operating in Chinese territorial seas, the CGA said.

Fishing vessels are prohibited from operating in China's territorial waters during the fishing moratorium, according to Chinese law.