The situation in the Taiwan Strait has made waves again: Cross-strait relations are seen from the fishing boat incident
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Recently, the Taiwan Strait has not been very peaceful, with the Kinmen ship collision incident in the past, and now there is another dispute in the Penghu waters, and the string of the situation in the Taiwan Strait is becoming more and more tense.
No, on October 8, the Taiwan Strait Patrol seized a mainland fishing boat in the waters near Penghu, and nine fishermen on board were also taken away. On the surface, this incident is due to a fishing boat crossing the border, but the deep-seated cause may not be so simple.
1. Replay of the incident: The strong law enforcement of the Taiwan Strait Patrol has caused controversy
Let's turn the clock back to 9 a.m. on October 8 in the 13.6-nautical-mile sea area southeast of Penghu Qimei. At that time, a mainland iron-hulled fishing boat named "Yuenanao Fishery" was operating in this sea area, and as a result, it was targeted by the "Taichung Ship" of the Taiwan Strait Patrol.
The Taiwan side insisted that the mainland fishing boat had "crossed the border" to fish and entered the so-called "forbidden waters," and immediately began to shout and drive them away.
It is estimated that the wind and waves at sea are too strong, and it may also be that the crew of the "Yuenan Ao Fishery" did not hear it, in short, the Taiwan side did not receive a response after shouting. This can stab the hornet's nest, and the "Taichung ship" of the Taiwan Strait Patrol did not say a word, and directly mobilized water cannons to attack the "Yuenan Ao Fishery".
Good guy, if you don't agree with each other, how angry is this? Seeing that the Taiwan side was not good, they immediately accelerated their serpentine maneuver in an attempt to get rid of the pursuit of the "Taichung ship."
In this way, the two sides staged a cat-and-mouse drama on the sea, during which the Taiwan side brought in the 10091 boat of the Penghu "Coast Guard" to support, and the two boats formed a situation of entrapment against the "Guangdong Nanao Fishery".
In the end, the "Yuenan Ao Fishery" was surrounded and intercepted by two Taiwan coast guard vessels, the water pump was damaged, the boat was also damaged in many places, and it lost power, so it was forced to stop.
You think that's the end of it? More excesses are yet to come. Taiwan Strait Patrol officers forcibly boarded the "Yuenanao Fishery", controlled the nine mainland fishermen on board, and towed the fishing boat back to the port of Penghu.
According to the photos released by Taiwan media, when the Taiwan Strait patrol personnel boarded the boat, they were fully armed, and some even pointed guns directly at the mainland fishing boats.
At this point, anyone with a discerning eye can see that the Taiwan Strait Patrol came prepared this time, and it was ruthless and accurate, and it was clear that it was intended to give the mainland a disadvantage. The nine mainland fishermen on the "Guangdong South Ao Fishery" have become victims of this political game.
2. Multi-angle interpretation: the political game behind the incident
The seizure of a mainland fishing boat by the Taiwan Strait Patrol has also caused a lot of controversy on the island. Some people support the tough approach of the Taiwan authorities, believing that this is safeguarding Taiwan's "sovereignty"; Some people have also questioned the excessive law enforcement of the Taiwan Strait Patrol and the excessive use of force, which is a deliberate provocation against the mainland.
So, why did the Taiwan authorities attack a mainland fishing boat so ruthlessly at this critical juncture?
First of all, it may be related to the mainland coast guard's seizure of the Taiwan fishing vessel "Dajinman 88" in July. At that time, the "Dajinman No. 88" was caught by the mainland coast guard for cross-border fishing in Kinmen, and has not been released to this day.
The Taiwan authorities have all along been obsessed with this, and the seizure of the mainland fishing boat this time is probably an attempt to take revenge and save face.
Secondly, the timing of this incident is also delicate. October 10 is Taiwan's "Double Ten Festival," and Lai Ching-te will deliver his first "Double Ten speech" since taking office.
It cannot be ruled out that the purpose of the Taiwan Strait Patrol at this sensitive moment is to increase the bargaining chips for Lai Qingde's speech, test the mainland's bottom line, and set the tone for the next trend of cross-strait relations.
From a deeper perspective, the Taiwan authorities have been stepping up their collusion with external forces in recent years, trying to "resist reunification by force," and constantly provoking the mainland on the Taiwan Strait issue. The seizure of a fishing boat on the mainland is only a microcosm of a series of provocative acts by the Taiwan authorities.
Naturally, the mainland will not sit idly by and watch the provocative acts of the Taiwan authorities.
For a long time, the mainland has always adhered to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems," but at the same time, it has also stressed that safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity is China's core interest, and any attempt to split China will not succeed.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the mainland has clearly expressed its strong dissatisfaction and resolute opposition to the incident of the Taiwan Strait Patrol's seizure of a mainland fishing boat, and has demanded that the Taiwan side immediately release the seized fishing boats and fishermen.
It is foreseeable that if the Taiwan authorities continue to insist on going their own way and go farther and farther down the road of "Taiwan independence," they will inevitably meet with a resolute counterattack from the mainland.
In addition to the mainland and Taiwan, the international community is also closely following the development of the situation in the Taiwan Strait. As one of the important issues in the Taiwan Strait, the United States has been selling weapons to Taiwan in recent years.
It has also strengthened its military presence in the Taiwan Strait, which is undoubtedly supporting and encouraging the "Taiwan independence" forces and aggravating the tension in the Taiwan Strait. The situation in the Taiwan Strait is complicated and involves the interests of all parties.
3. Historical Retrospective: This is not the first time that a fishing vessel incident has occurred in the Taiwan Strait
The two sides of the Taiwan Strait are connected by blood. However, due to historical reasons, cross-strait relations have always been in a delicate state. In recent years, as the DPP authorities have refused to recognize the "consensus of '92" and have continuously promoted "de-Sinicization," cross-strait relations have fallen into a trough.
Against this background, the Taiwan Strait fishing boat incident has become a barometer of cross-strait relations, and the slightest carelessness will cause an uproar.
In fact, incidents such as the seizure of the "Guangdong South Ao Fishery" have not been uncommon in the Taiwan Strait in recent years.
Just in July this year, the Taiwan fishing vessel "Dajinman 88" was seized by the mainland coast guard for cross-border fishing. In addition, incidents such as mainland fishing boats being driven away by the Taiwan side, fines, and even collisions have occurred from time to time.
These incidents seem to be maritime fisheries disputes, but behind them they reflect the complexity and sensitivity of cross-strait relations. Whenever cross-strait relations become tense, the frequency of such incidents increases, and vice versa.
With the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) coming to power in 2016, the number of incidents of fishing vessels in the Taiwan Strait has clearly shown an upward trend. This is not accidental, but is directly related to the DPP authorities' refusal to recognize the "consensus of '92" and their constant provocation of the mainland's bottom line.
What is even more worrying is that in recent years, the Taiwan Strait Patrol has taken more and more tough measures in dealing with such incidents, using water cannons at every turn, forcibly boarding ships, and even threatening to hold guns.
Such a move will not only not help solve the problem, but will further aggravate the antagonistic sentiment between the two sides of the strait and push the situation to an even more dangerous brink.
4. Future Prospects: Calling for dialogue and seeking peace
The situation in the Taiwan Strait affects the hearts of 1.4 billion Chinese. Peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait conforms to the common interests of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait and is also the universal expectation of the international community.
However, peace in the Taiwan Strait cannot rely solely on the efforts of the mainland, but still more requires both sides of the strait to work in the same direction and jointly safeguard it.
As far as the Taiwan authorities are concerned, they should have a clear understanding of the situation, give up the illusion of "Taiwan independence," stop all provocative acts, return to the political basis of the "consensus of '92," work in the same direction with the mainland, and resolve differences through dialogue and consultation.
As far as the mainland is concerned, it will continue to adhere to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems" and strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the greatest sincerity and with the greatest efforts.
At the same time, the mainland will never allow the "Taiwan independence" forces to split the country and will take all necessary measures to resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The situation in the Taiwan Strait is full of challenges, but it is also full of hope. It is believed that as long as the compatriots on both sides of the strait join hands and work together to adhere to the correct direction of peaceful development, they will certainly be able to overcome all kinds of difficulties on the way forward and jointly create a bright future for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.
epilogue
The detention of the "Guangdong South Macao Fisherman" incident has once again sounded the alarm bell for cross-strait relations. In the face of the complex and severe situation in the Taiwan Strait, compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should unite as one, jointly safeguard peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and jointly create a bright future for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.