Days after two of its fisherman perished while being pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard, which accused the boat of trespassing, China is increasing patrols in the waters off the coast of the Kinmen islands.
A spokesperson for the Chinese coast guard, Gan Yu, stated in a statement on Sunday that the Fujian division of the coast guard will intensify maritime law enforcement by routinely monitoring the seas off the southern shore of the city of Xiamen, which is only a few kilometres from Kinmen.
That body of water is frequently visited by Chinese and Taiwanese fishermen, and as the number of Chinese fishing boats and sand dredgers in the region has significantly risen, tensions have escalated.
Residents of Kinmen have expressed dissatisfaction about the vessels’ noise and sound pollution as well as damage to their fishing livelihood.