The Chinese language man reportedly claimed he needed to defect, however Taiwanese officers suspect he could also be investigating defenses.
Taiwan authorities have mentioned {that a} Chinese language man who was arrested on Sunday after illegally getting into a Taipei port on a speedboat is a former navy captain who might have been concerned in a navy investigation.
The person was arrested by Taiwan’s coast guard after crossing the 160-kilometer (100-mile-wide) Taiwan Strait separating the island state from China and getting into the mouth of the Tamsui River in his small boat.
He advised the authorities that he needed to abandon. However officers say he might have been testing Taiwan’s response to his method.
The 60-year-old man, who Taiwan mentioned was a Chinese language Folks’s Liberation Military Navy officer surnamed Ruan, is now beneath investigation and interrogated.
Kuan Biling, head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council (OAC), which runs the coast guard, advised reporters in parliament that the person was “fairly refined and well-presented” and had beforehand served as a captain within the Chinese language navy. .
Taiwanese Protection Minister Wellington Koo, additionally talking to reporters in parliament, mentioned the boat incident might be one other instance of China’s “gray zone” techniques in opposition to the island.
The phrase is used to discuss with irregular techniques to evaluate an space with out participating in open fight and has included China sending ships and surveillance balloons over the island.
Taiwan declared independence from China throughout a civil struggle in 1949. Nonetheless, Beijing insists the island is a part of its territory.
“These grey zone techniques have all the time existed,” Koo mentioned. “We should all the time preserve our vigilance and can’t rule out the potential for taking countermeasures.”
In accordance with the OAC’s Kuan, there have been 18 instances just like Sunday’s over the previous 12 months, principally linked to islands beneath Taiwan’s management which might be close to the Chinese language coast.
“Wanting on the collected instances previously, we can’t rule out that this can be a take a look at,” he mentioned, referring to Taiwan’s potential to detect such vessels.
He mentioned Taiwan plans to step up its safety measures and that personnel managing radar operations and monitoring stations who didn’t detect and cease the ship earlier will probably be held chargeable for the incident.
In March, two Taiwanese fishermen entered Chinese language waters close to the Kinmen Islands, one of many territories close to the Chinese language coast. One, a Taiwanese navy officer, stays detained in China, whereas the opposite was launched shortly after.
The newest incident comes amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan, and amid issues that China might resort to navy motion to stake its declare to the island.