The Chinese Coast Guard is stepping up patrols near the Taiwanese-controlled Kinmen Islands following an incident involving Taiwan’s Coast Guard that ended with two Chinese fishermen drowning.
The Kinmen Islands are controlled by Taiwan but are located just off the coast of mainland China, only about 3 miles away from the Chinese city of Xiamen.
Last week, Taiwan’s Coast Guard said a Chinese fishing boat entered prohibited waters off Kinmen, known as Quemoy in the mainland. The Taiwanese Coast Guard claimed the fishermen refused a request for an inspection, and their boat capsized as they tried to flee the area.
A total of four people were on the boat, and two were pronounced dead. After the incident, the Chinese Coast Guard said it would start regular patrols in the area to “maintain operational order in sea areas and safeguard fishermen’s lives and property.”
China followed through on the statement as Chinese Coast Guard officials briefly boarded a Taiwanese cruise ship for an inspection on Monday. The next day, Taiwan said it drove away Chinese Coast Guard vessels that entered waters near Kinmen.
The tensions around Kinmen come after Taiwanese media revealed the US deployed an unspecified number of military advisors to the islands, a significant provocation considering how close the territory is to mainland China. According to Taiwan’s United Daily News, US Army Green Berets were sent to the island to train Taiwanese forces.
When Antiwar.com asked about the deployment, a Pentagon spokesman declined to comment on specific operations in Taiwan but said, “I would highlight that our support for, and defense relationship with, Taiwan remains aligned against the current threat posed by the People’s Republic of China.”
My advice to china remains to take it like a pawn in a chess game.
The US is over extended with losing wars in Europe, southwest Asia and Africa. War with Venezuela/Columbia a Russia/Iran trading partner is heating up. Mexico and central America also demand the empire’s attention.
Take it, China. The US can be squeezed, Even though the Chinese economy is difficult right now, US society has been discarded as unnecessary by US government arrogance and has decayed as a result.
Over extended? Huh?
It’s all done on borrowed money and interest rates are rising.
The US can’t even afford high speed rail, medicare for all, or the virtually free university system I attended.
So many places for us to ratchet up the tensions. Taiwan has not released any footage of the incident. If what they say is true, footage would have been released.
Well, your folks over at the Kremlin claim all kinds of crazy sh!t all the time. They almost never release any footage and when they do, it’s either doctored or highly questionable.
Footage or lack there of does not equal truth, you genius.
Give them some time, not everyone wants to be like the Kremlin and hide stuff from public, perhaps they are working on release.
“According to Taiwan’s United Daily News, US Army Green Berets were sent to the island to train Taiwanese forces.”
Yeah, because special operations forces are going to be so useful if China decides to invade islands with 60 square miles of land area and a population of 120K, three miles from its mainland.
This behavior by the US and Taiwan is not only provocative, provocation is the only reason for it. Provocation is the goal.
I doubt the PRC will let itself be “provoked” into doing something stupid. While its rhetoric can get pretty florid, its actions tend to be reasonably cautious and carefully thought out.
I think that’s right. The PRC knows that time is on its side.
The US knows that also, and provocation is one of its old standby tactics.
WTF are the China-mans thinking throwing their weight around in their own back yard.
obviously they don’t realize that uncle sam calls all of the shots on every part of the globe.
what
hey China! can yall’s old men do this? =
oh shit round-eye careful what you wish for!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G95b3ji-tek
China should invade and annex just like Putin did in Ukraine. They just need to start some BS Neo Nazi and some NATO/West encroaching excuses.
The BRIC countries and most bloggers here will support that action, in the name of PEACE, of course.