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Vanessa Cai

Authorities in mainland China have returned a Taiwanese fishing boat and released its captain, more than four months after they were seized near Quemoy islands.
The Da Jin Man 88 and its captain, surnamed Hong, were repatriated on Friday, according to media reports in Taiwan.
Hong and four other crewmen were detained when their vessel was seized in early July by the China Coast Guard. He remained in custody pending investigations after the others – one from Taiwan and the rest Indonesian – were released in mid-August.
Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said on Friday that Hong had been released after relevant departments imposed penalties, but did not elaborate further.
Taiwan’s official Central News Agency reported that the boat and Hong were released after a fine of about 210,000 yuan (US$29,000).
Taiwanese coastguard patrol vessels escorted the boat to a port in Penghu, according to the report.
Quemoy, also known as Kinmen, and Penghu are offshore archipelagos controlled by Taiwan.

According to TAO, mainland coastguard authorities had carried out necessary law enforcement actions.
The handling “effectively maintained the fishing production order, marine fishery resources, and ecological environment in the area, serving as a strong deterrent against illegal activities”, TAO spokesman Chen Binhua said.
He said the Da Jin Man 88 had violated fisheries regulations by carrying out operations in “prohibited fishing areas and during fishing moratorium periods”.
Beijing in 1999 imposed a fishing ban between May and August in its waters to protect fishing grounds and the marine environment.
The Taiwanese boat allegedly used trawl nets smaller than the minimum mesh size allowed during the moratorium season, Chen said.
The vessel was detained in Beijing-controlled waters near Quemoy, a Taiwanese defence outpost close to the mainland coast.
The boat, which was carrying 1.33 tonnes (around 3,000lbs) of catch, and its crew were then placed under investigation by coastguard authorities for suspected illegal fishing.
The case marked the first such detention since June 16, when the mainland coastguard tightened law enforcement patrols around Quemoy after a series of fishing incidents.


Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise self-governed Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons
In August, a former Taiwanese soldier from Quemoy identified by his surname Hu, was released after being held on the mainland for nearly five months.
Hu was detained in mid-March after his boat’s engine failed during a fishing trip with a civilian friend and the vessel drifted into mainland waters.
The friend was released shortly after the incident, but Hu remained in detention, with mainland authorities saying he had “intentionally concealed information” about his military service.


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According to Beijing, the Taiwanese fishing boat carried out operations in “prohibited fishing areas and during fishing moratorium periods”. Photo: Handout

A Taiwanese coastguard vessel patrols the waters near Quemoy in May. Photo: EPA-EFE 

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Taiwanese leader William Lai is reportedly set to visit allies in the Pacific in the coming weeks, with stopovers in Hawaii and Guam. Photo: EPA-EFE 

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Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office says the boat and its captain were released after penalties, as Taiwanese media reports a fine was imposed


Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office says the boat and its captain were released after penalties, as Taiwanese media reports a fine was imposed.
