China Says Men Arrested In Taiwan Act On Their Own Will And Will Be Punished

Illustration of the flags of China and Taiwan. (Source: Stanford News.edu)

JAKARTA - The Chinese government said on Wednesday, a Chinese man who was arrested near Taipei after crossing the Taiwan Strait with a speedboat acting on his own will that Taiwan should not be too suspicious, in a case that has alarmed Taiwan's security officials.

Speaking at a regular press conference in Beijing, Chen Binhua, spokesman for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said what the man had done was "spy personal action".

"There is no need for Democratic Progressive Party authorities to see soldiers hiding behind every tree and shrub, doing political manipulation while pretending to act seriously," he said, referring to the ruling party in Taiwan.

The man will be punished once he returns to China, Chen added, without giving details.

Taiwanese coast guard arrested the man on Sunday in the Tamsui coastal neighborhood, after his ship entered a river leading to Taipei amid ongoing tensions between Taiwan and China.

Taiwan said the man was a former Chinese naval captain who may be investigating the island's defense.

Taiwan, which did not detect its ships before approaching the coast, has not indicated when or whether to repatriate it, saying legal authorities are still investigating it.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Director-General of National Security Bureau Tsai Ming-yen, who spoke in parliament in Taipei on Wednesday said they had not ruled out any possibilities regarding the man's motivation, including whether the Chinese government was involved.

The man's military background makes the case a bit unusual, Tsai added.

"There are many things that still need further clarification," he said.

Taiwan's coast guard said the man crossed the strait from China's Fujian province, which is against Taiwan, and they do not believe he came to Taiwan seeking political asylum.

Taiwan has complained in recent years that the Bamboo Curtain Country has used so-called gray zone warfare designed to exhaust enemies with irregular tactics without using open combat, such as flying reconnaissance balloons over the island. Tsai said the speedboat incident may be just such tactics.