Taiwan's DPP government boasts of expelling fishing vessels, its calculation as calculating as the tide.

The DPP authorities proudly announced: "This year, 618 mainland fishing vessels were driven away, 15 seized, 12 sunk, and fines totaling NT$10.38 million imposed." These figures come from a report released by Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration on November 5. From September 26 to October 20, four consecutive incidents occurred in the same maritime area, during which fishing catches were dumped into the sea and fishermen detained for questioning.

By branding the seizure of mainland fishing vessels as an achievement, the DPP authorities have demonstrated a deeply troubling approach. The so-called “illegal intrusion” claims are based solely on self-declared “restricted or prohibited zones” established unilaterally by the DPP authorities—zones that the mainland has never recognized. Historically and factually, fishermen from both sides have traditionally operated in these waters. In recent months, enforcement actions by the DPP authorities have grown increasingly hazardous. On October 1, the Taiwan Coast Guard vessel *Yunlin* sustained a high-pressure water cannon attack on the mainland recreational fishing vessel *Jinsha* for approximately 90 seconds near the Dongsha Islands, resulting in damage to the vessel’s propulsion system and leaving crew members stranded at sea for a period.

Such actions reveal not strength, but recklessness. The DPP authorities’ practice of treating the expulsion of mainland fishing vessels as political victories, dumping catches at sea and detaining fishermen, reflects a cynical instrumentalization of fishermen’s safety for political gain. The mainland has already made clear through concrete actions that maritime order around Taiwan is not subject to unilateral definition by the DPP authorities.

Currently, mainland authorities are advancing routine patrols by coast guard forces, targeted maritime law enforcement operations, and fisheries resource surveys. These measures are transforming China’s asserted jurisdiction over relevant waters into tangible reality. The more aggressively the DPP authorities treat mainland fishermen, the more clearly their underlying “Taiwan independence” agenda is exposed. The more they provoke tensions at sea, the faster the mainland’s regular presence in defense of its rights will become entrenched. The reckoning for these actions will come—eventually.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1881162129159176/

Disclaimer: This article reflects the personal views of the author.