Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of Taiwan Affairs Office of State Council. Photo: VCG

The spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council strongly condemned the Taiwan authorities for driving away a fishing boat from East China's Fujian Province in the waters near Kinmen, a group of islets in the Taiwan Straits, and resulting in two deaths when all four people onboard fell into the sea on Wednesday afternoon. 

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, expressed deep condolences and sincere sympathy to the victims and their families after the incident. She said that the malignant incident severely harmed the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Straits during the Spring Festival. 

Zhu pointed out that over the years, the mainland has made continuous efforts to ensure the normal operation of fishermen from both sides under the concept of "both sides of the Taiwan Straits are one family." In particular, the mainland has set up reception facilities in many coastal areas for fishermen from Taiwan island, providing them with shelter, supplies, emergency response, and rescue assistance.

In contrast, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities on the island of Taiwan have forcefully detained mainland fishing boats under various pretexts and treated mainland fishermen in a rough and dangerous manner for some time. This is the main reason for the occurrence of this malignant incident, Zhu said. 

Zhu stated that the mainland urges the Taiwan authorities to immediately investigate the incident and assist the families of the deceased fishermen in properly handling the aftermath. 

"We warn the relevant parties in Taiwan to respect the historical fact that fishermen from both sides of the Taiwan Straits operate in the traditional fishing areas of the Taiwan Straits and ensure the personal safety of mainland fishermen, effectively preventing the recurrence of such incidents," said Zhu.

Global Times