DPP must properly handle Feb 14 incident so relations don't fray more: China Daily editorial

It is natural that China Coast Guard vessels should conduct regular patrols in waters near Kinmen island.

The Fujian provincial coast guard authority has every reason to do so after the incident on Feb 14 when two fishermen from the Chinese mainland drowned after their fishing boat was chased and bumped by law enforcement vessels of the Kinmen authorities, which claimed their boat was in "restricted waters".

But as the central authorities have made clear there are no so-called "restricted waters" there. It is the misperception of the relations across the Strait by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities on Taiwan island, which exercise local governance of the area, that has given rise to the tension.

The DPP authorities have repeatedly detained mainland fishing boats under various pretexts and treated mainland fishermen in a rude and dangerous manner. The regular patrols by Fujian coast guard vessels are to maintain order in the waters and safeguard the lives and property of fishermen.

The waters near Xiamen and Kinmen have long been traditional fishing grounds for fishermen from both sides of the Strait. It is outrageous for the DPP authorities to beat about the bush on the responsibility of their law enforcement vessels in the incident. There is no reason for the DPP authorities to drag their feet on an investigation into the tragedy. A spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council reiterated on Friday that the DPP authorities must respond in a serious and responsible manner to the demands of the relatives of the drowned fishermen, and make clear what really happened in the encounter between the mainland fishing boat and Taiwan coast guard vessels.

If the DPP authorities really cared about the fishermen and had due regard for cross-Strait relations, they should have launched an immediate probe to determine the sequence of events that led to the fatalities and punished any involved who committed actions for which they should be held accountable.

What the DPP authorities have done with their wrongful law enforcement actions and in the wake of the tragedy has made it a necessity for the Fujian coast guard authority to send vessels on regular law enforcement patrols in the waters. It is injudicious for the DPP authorities to risk further sabotaging relations across the Taiwan Strait by not acting responsibly and prevaricating over an investigation.

It is naive and ludicrous for the DPP authorities to believe they can leverage the incident to split the island from its motherland by sowing the seed of animus among people across the Strait. The tension in cross-Strait relations will only result in creating obstacles to exchanges and cooperation between the two sides. In particular, it is those from the island who have been benefiting from their mainland businesses that will suffer and those Taiwan businesses that are making money by receiving tourists from the mainland that will bear the brunt of the incident.

It is no exaggeration to say that the DPP authorities have kidnapped the Taiwan people by denying the 1992 Consensus that there is only one China, and Taiwan is part of China. They are seeking "Taiwan independence" at the expense of the island's future and the interests of Taiwan people. The Feb 14 tragedy is the result of what the DPP authorities have done to the detriment of the cross-Strait relations. The DPP authorities should realize that their attempt to seek "Taiwan independence" is a dead end, and the worsening ties across the Taiwan Strait will only lead to greater damages for the island.

Properly handling the Feb 14 incident is a way to prevent cross-Strait relations from going from bad to worse.