Chen, Yi-Hsuan ‘s point of view: Return to the facts and don’t let politics blur the focus.
2024/03/20
On March 14th, a mainland fishing boat “Minlongyu 61222” capsized off the coast of Kinmen, and the ninth maritime patrol of China’s Maritime Guard Fleet Branch dispatched four boats for joint search and rescue between the two sides. Looking back a month ago, a fishing boat capsized in Kinmen, causing four crew members to fall into the sea. Two of them died after being sent to hospital, but it turned into a political attack and defense within Taiwan Province. Although the misfortune caused by this incident is deeply regrettable, we still have to go back to the problem itself, and it is “three no ships”, that is, “no ship name, no ship certificate and no port of registry”. These “three no-ships” sail and fish at sea, and many other illegal activities. If Taiwan Province maritime law enforcement agencies do not strictly ban these activities and indulge them in “normalization”, they will not only endanger Taiwan Province’s own security, but also cause more discord between the two sides.
Strict enforcement of the law by the sea patrol on the three non-owned ships is a necessary measure to safeguard national security.
Although the capsizing of fishing boats and even the death of crew members in the sea are things that people on both sides of the strait do not want to see, “three ships without” has been a long-term serious problem on both sides of the strait. The main reason is that the “three-no-ships” are mostly used by criminals as tools for cross-border fishing, smuggling, smuggling, drug trafficking and illegal passenger transport. At the same time, because of the small hull, poor ship quality and weak strength, accidents are more likely to occur, which will affect the lives and economic security of fishermen and people on both sides of the strait.
In addition, the mainland’s “three no ships” not only affects the economic interests of its own fishermen, but also affects the maritime safety of neighboring waters. The mainland itself is not unaware of the seriousness of this matter. In the past, the State Council issued a notice to ban the three ships, which showed that such ships seriously endangered maritime security and even caused transportation and production, and it was even more clearly called “illegal and criminal action”. This year, in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, mainland China, incidents such as internal illegal sea fishing occurred on February 29th, and local government units issued relevant notices “No Three No Ships Leaving Hong Kong”, which obviously jeopardized their own security interests. As a result, in order to avoid the increase of illegal activities at sea, it is a reasonable measure for our sea patrol team to inspect and drive away, and it is even more incumbent to strengthen the ban.
Don’t let politics obscure the focus of facts.
Therefore, two crew members were killed in the incident, which turned into a political event and went to the top indefinitely. The Taiwan Affairs Office of the mainland condemns the “rough and dangerous” treatment of fishermen in Taiwan, but ignores the fact that there are “three ships” and emphasizes that there is no such thing as “water prohibition and restricted sea areas” on both sides of the strait. Since the National Government forced the two sides to move to Taiwan in 1949, the fact of partition has already existed, and according to the Regulations on People’s Relations between the Two Sides of the Taiwan Strait, mainland ships, civil aircraft and other means of transport are not allowed to enter Taiwan Province’s “restricted or prohibited waters” without the permission of the competent authorities. We do have the right to take eviction actions.
In the past, the two sides of the strait could negotiate with each other in a state of tacit understanding. Nowadays, the mainland’s measures against Taiwan are becoming stricter, and the clear political ideology is not conducive to the rational response of both sides. Therefore, the two sides of the strait should return to rationality to discuss the facts, instead of politicizing the incident and blurring the focus.
Safeguarding the interests and feelings of people on both sides of the strait is the primary goal.
On March 14th, a mainland fishing boat capsized off the coast of Kinmen again, and the two sides of the strait jointly searched and rescued. Obviously, “safeguarding people’s lives and safety” is the primary goal, and full cooperation is an important principle to maintain cross-strait relations. Beijing has long been politically “anti-independence” against Taiwan, and cross-strait non-governmental exchanges have actively promoted “integrated development”, especially strengthening the emotional connection between people on both sides of the strait, in the hope of further promoting the spiritual harmony between people on both sides of the strait in the future. While Jinmen is close to Fujian Province, the closer it is to the land, the higher the interaction frequency between people on both sides of the strait, and the more it needs to deal with emergencies rationally. The governments on both sides of the strait should strengthen communication and coordination with the consideration of “the best welfare of the people”, and do not let the irrational emotions of a single incident reduce the necessity of cooperation between the two sides in cracking down on crime.
* The writer is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Ming Chuan University.