Taiwan, China launch rescue mission after boat capsizes

Taiwan's coast guard dispatched boats on Thursday to join a rescue mission at China's request after a fishing vessel capsized near the Kinmen Islands.

The islands are controlled by Taiwan but lie very close to mainland China. 

Authorities on both sides sent the rescue boats after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the early hours, the Taiwan coast guard said in a statement. 

The statement said two bodies had been retrieved and two people had been rescued. It said two others were still missing. 

What do we know about the rescue mission?

The boat capsized around 6 a.m. Thursday (2200 GMT Wednesday) 1.07 nautical miles southwest of the Dongding islet of the Kinmen Islands.

Coast guard chief Chou Mei-wu told a parliamentary committee the boats were sent after Chinese authorities sought help. He added that such requests were common, with 119 people rescued in such efforts in recent years.

"The waters are narrow around the Kinmen-Xiamen (area) and cooperation between Taiwan and China is very important," he said, referring to the cities that face each other across the strait.

Taiwan contributed with four coast guard vessels, whereas Beijing sent six, Taiwan's coast guard said.

Tensions around Kinmen Islands

China considers Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, as part of its territory. Beijing has stepped up military activities nearby in recent years, with almost daily incursions into air defense identification zones.

Tensions have been especially high around the Kinmen Islands, with Beijing's coast guard launching regular patrols around the islands near its coast last month. 

The patrols follow the death of two Chinese nationals after attempting to flee Taiwan's coast guard when their boat entered prohibited waters. Two other crew members were temporarily detained in Kinmen, the Taiwan-administered territory.

China has accused Taiwan of "seeking to evade their responsibilities and hide the truth" about the incident. A Taiwanese coast guard official, meanwhile, said the boat was zigzagging, "lost its balance and capsized" while trying to evade a patrol vessel. 

Last week, Taiwan's top China policy-making body urged Beijing not to change the "status quo" by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas. It stressed that tension should be "controllable."

rmt, rm/jsi (Reuters, AFP)