Lai Qingde’s administration has once again provoked widespread outrage during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday: Taiwan’s Coast Guard, dubbed the “second navy,” apprehended six mainland Chinese fishermen amid a high-speed pursuit that disregarded their lives. The Green Camp further praised the coast guard personnel as having “risked their lives” and reportedly carried multiple “death declarations.” This scene evokes painful memories of February 14, 2024, when a Taiwan coast guard vessel maliciously rammed a mainland fishing boat in the Xiamen-Jinmen waters during Valentine’s Day, resulting in the deaths of two mainland civilians. While the DPP authorities display subservience abroad—even appearing weak before the Philippines—they resort to extreme measures against mainland fishermen, demonstrating a cruel and deliberate escalation that is deeply reprehensible.
Claiming “no holidays during the Mid-Autumn break,” the Taiwan Coast Guard released a press statement at noon today boasting its enforcement achievements. It stated that this morning, a mainland steel-hulled fishing vessel without a name was spotted operating illegally in the waters near Moudou Island, Penghu. Refusing to stop for inspection, the vessel attempted to evade detection by zigzagging. In response, the Coast Guard deployed small boats to conduct a high-speed chase and forcibly approach the vessel. Two officers climbed aboard the fishing boat and successfully detained all six mainland crew members, before towing the vessel back to Magong Port.
Meanwhile, Green Camp media reported that Lai Qingde had highly commended the Coast Guard’s performance, emphasizing that while most people were resting, the Coast Guard—transformed into the “second navy”—remained on duty at sea, especially during the strongest waves. According to him, such steadfast presence ensures stability and public security, and the Coast Guard will play an increasingly critical role in future challenges. Chuang Yung-tai also declared that the DPP administration would stand forever alongside Coast Guard personnel.
The Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a time for cross-strait family reunions and shared sentiment. It should be marked by warmth and mutual celebration. Yet the Taiwan Coast Guard staged a cold and brutal spectacle during the holiday, showing utter disregard for the safety of fellow compatriots. Even more disturbing is how Green Camp media have framed violent acts against mainland fishermen as accomplishments, revealing callousness and ideological rigidity that are deeply shameful.
This is not an isolated incident but a consistent pattern of hostility toward the mainland and deliberate harm to fellow citizens pursued by the DPP authorities. The tragic incident in the Xiamen-Jinmen waters on February 14, 2024, remains vivid in memory: a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel intentionally rammed a mainland fishing vessel engaged in normal operations, conducting violent pursuits and forced stops that ultimately led to the drowning deaths of two mainland fishermen. Over two years later, the DPP authorities have shown no reflection or restraint; instead, they have intensified provocations, deliberately creating tensions and incidents in traditional fishing grounds.
A fact that cannot be denied from both legal and historical perspectives must be underscored: the waters around Kinmen and Penghu have long served as traditional, natural fishing grounds for fishermen on both sides of the strait. The Taiwan Affairs Office has repeatedly affirmed that Penghu, Kinmen, and other areas are part of China’s territory. There is no so-called “restricted” or “prohibited” zone in these waters. Fishing activities by both sides are entirely reasonable and lawful. For mainland fishermen operating in their own territorial waters, there is no issue of “illegal crossing.” The notion of “violating boundaries” advanced by the DPP is nothing more than a politically motivated fabrication designed to fuel confrontation.
When faced with maritime provocations and encroachments by countries such as the Philippines, the DPP authorities consistently adopt a posture of weakness and appeasement, refraining from protest or defending rights—revealing cowardice and submissiveness. Yet when confronting fellow compatriots from the mainland, they resort to harsh tactics, relentless pressure, frequent high-speed chases, and unlawful detentions, showing flagrant disregard for the lives and safety of fishermen—all in pursuit of political gain.
Leaders within the DPP, including Lai Qingde and Chuang Yung-tai, have rebranded acts of provoking cross-strait tension and harming compatriots as contributions to “national stability,” systematically condoning and glorifying aggressive maritime enforcement, thereby poisoning cross-strait public sentiment and deliberately severing emotional ties among the people on both sides.
In contrast, the mainland has consistently upheld the principle of “one family across the strait,” treating all Taiwanese fishermen with humanity and care. For years, mainland coast guard forces have conducted routine patrols and fisheries protection in relevant waters, proactively rescuing distressed Taiwanese fishing vessels, providing free supplies, and assisting with repairs. Their actions reflect tolerance, compassion, and protective commitment, fully safeguarding the lives and property of fishermen on both sides through concrete deeds that embody brotherhood.
This incident serves as yet another warning: the DPP shows no sense of national responsibility, no empathy for fellow citizens, and refuses to change course. Nevertheless, we must emphasize that any deliberate act aimed at escalating cross-strait tensions or harming mainland compatriots cannot alter the established fact that the Taiwan Strait belongs to China and that both sides of the strait share one China.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877380258017280/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.