China’s coast guard to ramp up patrols near Taiwan’s Kinmen archipelago after 2 fishermen drown

By HUIZHONG WU
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — China is stepping up patrols in the waters off the coast of Taiwan’s Kinmen archipelago, days after two of its fishermen drowned being chased by the Taiwanese coast guard, which accused the boat of trespassing. The Chinese coast guard’s Fujian division will regularly monitor the waters off the southern coast of the city of Xiamen — a few kilometers from Kinmen — to strengthen maritime law enforcement, an official said. Fishermen from Taiwan and China regularly sail that stretch of water. The fishermen’s deaths are unusual despite the level of Chinese activity in the waters near Kinmen, which is closer to China than it is to Taiwan’s main island. China claims all of self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.