TAIPEI: Taiwan dispatched coast guard boats on Thursday to join a rescue mission at China’s request after a fishing vessel capsized near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, amid heightened tension in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the island’s strong objections, and has stepped up military activities near it in recent years, with almost daily incursions into air defense identification zones.
Authorities on both sides sent the rescue boats after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the early hours, Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement, adding that two people were missing, though two had been rescued and two bodies retrieved.
Coast guard chief Chou Mei-wu told a parliamentary committee the boats were sent after Chinese authorities sought help, adding that such requests were common, with 119 people rescued in such efforts over the past three years or so.
“The waters are narrow around the Kinmen-Xiamen (area) and co-operation between Taiwan and China is very important,” he said, referring to the neighbors’ cities that face each other across the strait.
Taiwan sent four coast guard vessels and its Chinese counterpart six to participate in the rescue effort, the coast guard said.
Last month, China’s coast guard began regular patrols around the Kinmen islands close to its coast, after two Chinese nationals died while trying to flee Taiwan’s coast guard after their boat entered prohibited waters.
The Chinese fishing boat capsized about 1.07 nautical miles west of Taiwan’s Dongding island, the coast guard said, with armed forces stationed there also engaging in the rescue, but did not elaborate.
In a statement, Taiwan’s Kinmen defense command said it had not received any request from Chinese authorities to search the island, but added that any survivors found would be handed to the coast guard.
Last week, Taiwan’s top China policy-making body urged its giant neighbor not to change the “status quo” around the waters there by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas, saying tension should be “controllable.”
Taiwan, China launch rescue bid after boat capsizes near sensitive islands
https://arab.news/yktwc
Taiwan, China launch rescue bid after boat capsizes near sensitive islands
- Authorities on both sides send rescue boats after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the early hours
- The Chinese fishing boat capsized about 1.07 nautical miles west of Taiwan’s Dongding island
Indonesia eyes investment boost from UAE after leaders’ meeting
- Indonesia-UAE trade was worth $6.4b in 2025, up from $5b in 2024
- President Prabowo Subianto, MBZ also discussed increasing cooperation in renewable energy, tech, AI
JAKARTA: Indonesia is expecting more investments from the UAE, the Indonesian government said on Friday following talks between President Prabowo Subianto and his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
Indonesia’s relations with the UAE grew under former President Joko Widodo, who in 2021 secured more than $46 billion investment commitment from the Gulf state.
Subianto visited Abu Dhabi earlier this week accompanied by Foreign Minister Sugiono, and Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia on a trip aimed at strengthening cooperation under the Indonesia-UAE Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement.
“The meeting discussed cooperation to increase investment (and) strengthen bilateral cooperation. The UAE wants to increase its investment in Indonesia,” Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said in a statement, without disclosing any amount.
Indonesia and the UAE signed the free trade deal in 2022, which came into force a year later. It was Jakarta’s first with a Gulf country and Abu Dhabi’s first with a Southeast Asian nation.
The Indonesia-UAE CEPA erases about 99 percent of existing tariffs and includes commitments to increase Indonesia’s services exports to the UAE by 6 percent while mutually recognizing each country’s halal certification.
Commerce between the two countries has seen a boost since then, with bilateral trade reaching more than $6.4 billion in 2025, according to Indonesian Trade Ministry data, showcasing an increase of nearly 27 percent from the previous year, when it was worth around $5 billion.
The Emirati state news agency WAM said the talks in Abu Dhabi also covered ways to increase cooperation in other sectors, including renewable energy, technology, artificial intelligence, sustainability, food security and culture.
“The (UAE) president noted the continuing progress of long-standing UAE-Indonesia relations, which are founded on mutual trust, respect and shared interests,” WAM said.
“He reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to advancing its development and economic partnership with Indonesia for the benefit of both countries and their peoples.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the UAE.
The UAE was Subianto’s last stop on a multi-nation trip, which included the US, the UK and Jordan.
