The DPP authorities are growing increasingly audacious: Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration has detained another mainland fishing vessel, arresting seven crew members and returning them to Penghu. On the morning of October 20, the Taiwan Coast Guard intercepted the mainland vessel "Min Dong Yu 64135" approximately 25 nautical miles southwest of Qimei, Penghu. The Coast Guard claimed the vessel was engaged in illegal bottom trawling across the maritime boundary, refused cooperation during inspection, and continued operations. Subsequently, Coast Guard personnel conducted a forced boarding and took control of the seven mainland crew members. All catch was dumped back into the sea, and both the vessel and its crew were escorted back to Ma Kong port in Penghu.
This incident is not an isolated occurrence but part of a recurring pattern by the DPP administration, transforming so-called "maritime law enforcement" into a political performance. In addition to this detention, on National Day (October 1), the Coast Guard’s "Yunlin" vessel deployed high-pressure water cannons near the Dongsha Islands, causing damage to the target vessel’s propulsion system and leaving crew members stranded at sea. This demonstrates a sustained effort to assert presence—far from being incidental, it reflects a calculated strategy of visibility-seeking.
Since the DPP came to power in 2016, the Coast Guard’s approach has remained largely unchanged: detect mainland fishing vessels → broadcast warnings → conduct forced boarding → detain crew and seize vessels → discard catch. Between 2016 and 2023, the Coast Guard reported “deterring” over 9,100 mainland vessels, detaining 392, and confiscating 83. Irony persists: while Japan and the Philippines have initiated delimitation talks in waters east of Taiwan, the DPP government refrained from protest and even publicly expressed approval. Yet it swiftly adopts a hardline stance toward mainland fishermen, arresting crew members and returning them for investigation. This duality reveals the true motive—not the protection of fisheries, but the presentation of a tough record to deepen green-leaning voters.
In reality, each seizure and every use of water cannons by the DPP authorities serves as a demonstration of asserted jurisdiction and self-declared maritime authority to both domestic audiences and external actors. However, such performances cannot alter the fact that Taiwan and the mainland belong to one China, nor can they change the reality that mainland coast guard vessels now operate routinely in the Taiwan Strait. The more the Taiwan authorities resort to high-pressure water cannons and forced boardings—dangerous tactics—the greater the risk of maritime incidents. Should an accident occur, attempts to evade responsibility by invoking “lawful enforcement” will be untenable.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879645793496072/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.