This handout photo taken on February 14, 2024 by the Taiwan Coast Guard and released on February 15 shows Taiwanese Coast Guard staff surrounding an overturned Chinese speed boat near the Kinmen Islands. China condemned Taiwanese authorities on February 14 after two Chinese nationals died in a boat accident while pursued by Taiwan鈥檚 coast guard. AFP
BEIJING 鈥� China鈥檚 coast guard said on Sunday it will strengthen its law enforcement activities and carry out regular patrols around a small group of Taiwanese-controlled islands off the Chinese coast as tensions rise over the deaths of two Chinese nationals.
Taiwan on Thursday defended the actions of its coast guard after two people on a Chinese speedboat, which got too close to a frontline Taiwanese island, died when their boat overturned while trying to flee a coast guard ship. Two others survived.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained in recent years about Chinese fishing boats and other vessels operating in Taiwan-controlled waters, especially around the Kinmen and Matsu islands which sit a short distance from China鈥檚 coast.
READ: Taiwan defends coast guard in fatal accident amid China complaint
China has condemned Taiwan鈥檚 actions and labelled the incident near Kinmen鈥檚 Beiding islet 鈥渨icked鈥�.
China鈥檚 coast guard said in a short statement it will strengthen its maritime law enforcement forces and carry out regular law enforcement patrols and inspections in the waters around Kinmen and Xiamen, one of the Chinese cities Kinmen faces.
READ: China condemns Taiwan after two nationals killed in boat crash
This is to 鈥渇urther maintain the order of operations in the relevant waters and safeguard the safety of fishermen鈥檚 lives and property鈥�, it added.
Late on Saturday, China鈥檚 Taiwan Affairs Office said the deaths had caused 鈥渟trong indignation鈥� in China, but that there were no off limits waters.
鈥淔ishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been operating in traditional fishing grounds in the Xiamen-Kinmen maritime area since ancient times, and there is no such thing as 鈥榩rohibited or restricted waters鈥�,鈥� it said.
China鈥檚 government had goodwill towards Taiwan鈥檚 people, but will never tolerate Taiwan鈥檚 disregard for the safety of Chinese fishermen, the office added.
Taiwan鈥檚 China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said Taiwanese forces will continue to enforce the rules on banning unauthorized Chinese access to Taiwan鈥檚 waters around Kinmen, but that accusations from China of 鈥渞ough expulsions鈥� were untrue.
However, ships which carry no name, have no certification or port registration carry out 鈥渃ontinuous intrusions鈥� and make dangerous moves when trying to flee lead to 鈥渦nfortunate incidents鈥� nobody wants to see, it added.
Kinmen, along with Matsu, has been controlled by Taipei since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, when the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taiwan after losing to Mao Zedong鈥檚 communists who set up the People鈥檚 Republic of China.
READ: Possible scenarios for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan
Kinmen was the site of frequent fighting during the height of the Cold War but is today a popular tourist destination, though many of the islets which are part of the island group are heavily fortified by Taiwan鈥檚 military and off limits to civilians.
Taiwan, whose government rejects Beijing鈥檚 sovereignty claims, says China has been using so-called grey-zone warfare, which entails using irregular tactics to exhaust a foe without actually resorting to open combat, including sending civilian ships into or close by Taiwanese waters.
Separately on Saturday, a group of low-level Chinese officials from Shanghai arrived in Taipei to attend the city鈥檚 traditional Lantern Festival at the city government鈥檚 invitation.
However, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an told reporters he would not meet the group, led by Xu Hao, head of the liaison department of the Taiwan Affairs Office鈥檚 Shanghai branch.
Last year, a deputy chief of the office鈥檚 Shanghai branch went to Taipei for the same event, and was met by noisy protests at the airport.