China increases military activity around South China Sea island as Taiwan debates potential visit to Spratly Islands site by leader Tsai Ing-wen
Beijing warned Seoul not to stray from the 'neutral position it had adhered to for years'
Taiwanese media reported the King Xia, carrying 11 crew and 23 passengers, was boarded by the Chinese coast guard for about 32 minutes on Monday.
Tensions between Taipei and Beijing have been heating up in the waters around Taiwan-controlled Kinmen Islands. Residents have endured artillery barrages in the past and persistent military threats. Even so, many say they doubt conflict will reach their shore.
Taiwan-ruled Kinmen is an island only a few kilometers from China. It has been the first line of defense against China for Taiwan’s government. One blacksmith in Kinmen, made famous by what he recycles, is trying to turn objects of the island’s violent past into a symbol of peace.
Taiwan’s Kinmen Islands are known for their sorghum wine, wind lion gods, and knives made from old mortar shells. And because they are just a few kilometers from China's southeastern coast, they often are caught in the middle of tensions between Taipei and Beijing.
Just a few kilometers from China's southeastern coast, residents of Taiwan's Kinmen Islands often are caught in the middle of tensions between Taipei and Beijing
