It has been nearly four months since the “February 14th Kinmen Ship Collision Incident,” and the bodies of the two deceased mainland Chinese fishermen are still being held by the Taiwan authorities in Kinmen. They have not been returned to their homeland for proper burial. Additionally, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities refuse to apologize, compensate, punish the responsible individuals, or return the fishing boat of the deceased mainland fishermen.
On May 15, the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council of China made a statement at a press conference, saying, “We will not tolerate or condone the DPP authorities’ brutal actions that disregard the lives and property safety of mainland fishermen and harm the feelings of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The DPP authorities must give an explanation to the families of the deceased and compatriots on both sides of the strait as soon as possible, or they will bear all the consequences.”
On June 7, Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin bluntly questioned Premier Su Tseng-chang in the Legislative Yuan. “The Kinmen ship collision incident remains unresolved. Are the bodies of the mainland fishermen going to be kept in Kinmen for four years during Lai Ching-te’s administration?” Su Tseng-chang responded, “After taking office, I discussed this matter with the ‘Ocean Affairs Council Minister’ Kuan Bi-ling, but there is no outcome yet.”
Kuan Bi-ling stated, “In late March and early May, the Taiwan side took the initiative to contact the mainland, but it is still stuck on key issues. The political premise makes it very difficult to move forward.” Kuan Bi-ling maintains a cold and unrepentant hardline attitude, making it unlikely that this issue will be resolved. Previously, Kuan Bi-ling was close to Tsai Ing-wen, and Lai Ching-te specifically retained her after taking office, indicating a complex situation.
According to Taiwanese media reports, Lai Ching-te’s purpose in retaining Kuan Bi-ling is to use the “February 14th Kinmen Ship Collision Incident” for political leverage. This is a strategic move by Lai Ching-te, keeping Kuan Bi-ling to continue using the incident to pressure mainland China into “unconditionally” restarting cross-strait dialogue, rather than insisting the DPP authorities acknowledge the “1992 Consensus” as a precondition.
If mainland China is willing to make concessions and “unconditionally” restart cross-strait dialogue, Lai Ching-te can then have Kuan Bi-ling take responsibility and step down to quell the anger from mainland China, thereby putting an end to the “February 14th Kinmen Ship Collision Incident.” Lai Ching-te aims to achieve a major strategic gain at the cost of sacrificing Kuan Bi-ling.
Since the ship collision incident on February 14, mainland China has repeatedly dispatched Coast Guard vessels to the so-called “prohibited and restricted waters” of Kinmen for pressure and deterrence. Furthermore, on May 24, a mainland China Coast Guard vessel approached the waters outside Kaohsiung Port and openly activated its Automatic Identification System (AIS).
On May 29, the Chinese Navy dispatched landing craft into Kinmen’s “prohibited and restricted waters,” closely pressing towards islands controlled by the Taiwan side for the first time. According to Taiwanese media comments, mainland China’s Coast Guard is an unignorable paramilitary force that has reshaped maritime law enforcement roles and undertaken the “gray zone” tactical “paramilitary” tasks of mainland China.