China has seized a Taiwanese fishing boat near its coast and not far from an island controlled by Taiwan. The vessel was then taken to a Chinese port, the Taiwanese coast guard said, quoted by Reuters and BTA.
The agency defines the case as a further escalation of tensions on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
China considers Taiwan its breakaway territory. Beijing has stepped up its pressure on the democratic, self-governing island since the inauguration in May of new Taiwanese President William Lai, whom it calls a "separatist," according to Reuters.
Taiwanese coast guard vessels asked the Chinese side to release the boat, but after being refused, withdrew to avoid conflict.
A senior Taiwanese official said the boat was seized in Chinese territorial waters during a period when fishing there is prohibited.
The Chinese Maritime Administration and Coast Guard have increased their presence in the area since February, when two Chinese fishermen died trying to escape the Taiwanese coast guard.
This is not the first Taiwanese fishing boat seized by China, Reuters notes.