Taiwan says China seized fishing boat under new protocol

Taiwanese officials Wednesday said China seized one of their fishing boats this week under a new protocol that allows the Chinese coast guard to take vessels that operate under its maritime borders.

Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said that China has stepped up its patrols since a regulation went into effect in June authorizing them to seize vessels for up to 60 days in waters considered by Beijing to be under its domain.

In response, CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-Chin told a news conference on Wednesday that he would step up patrols to safeguard vessels, according to Taiwan's state-run Central News Agency.

Hsieh also called for the release of the detained fishing boat, the Da Jin Man No. 88.

Chinese Coast Guard personnel seized the fishing boat near Taiwan's Kinmen Islands Tuesday night, detaining two Taiwanese citizens and three Indonesians.

The Taiwanese CGA says it sent ships to rescue the fishing vessel, but were forced to pull back when China sent reinforcements.

The fishing boat had been operating in China's territorial waters near Jinjiang City but Taiwan's Fisheries Agency said it was a common ground for fishing and there was a general agreement that it was jointly used, according to Central News Agency.

The incident comes amid soaring tensions between Taiwan and China following the inauguration of Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te, who Beijing has branded as a separatist.

After Lai's inauguration, China launched major military drills around the self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing considers its own territory.

Chinese aircraft routinely threaten Taiwan's airspace and force the island nation to scramble its own jets. Chinese boats also continue to harass Taipei around its maritime borders.

China claims much of the South China Sea as its own despite an international arbitration order that rejected those lines.

The dispute in the South China Sea has led to escalating tensions in recent years with nearby nations, including the Philippines, which fended off a Chinese attack last month. Chinese personnel armed with machetes boarded a Philippines ship and attacked the Filipino sailors.

The clash came as the Philippines has sought to bolster a beached ship at Second Thomas Shoal, a disputed reef in the South China Sea.