China on Thursday accused Taiwan of “driving away a fishing boat” that capsized and resulted in the death of two people, state media reported.
Taiwan said the boat was asked to “submit to an inspection, but it resisted” and “sped away” from near Kinmen Islands, a group of islets in the Taiwan Strait that are governed by Taipei.
Zhu Fenglian, the spokesperson of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, “strongly condemned” the Taiwan authorities over the issue.
The boat from China's eastern Fujian province was found on Wednesday by the Taiwanese Coast Guard in the waters near Kinmen.
When the four people aboard the unnamed boat were asked for inspection, they sped away, according to Taiwanese authorities.
MNA