Taiwan arrests former Chinese navy captain for illegally entering island by speedboat

The Chinese man arrested on Sunday for illegally entering Taipei Port on a speedboat is a former navy commander who was possibly involved in the military investigation, Al Jazeera reports.

According to Taiwanese authorities, the man was taken into custody by the Taiwanese coast guard after he/she crossed the 160-kilometer-long Taiwan Strait (which separates the island nation from China) in his/her small boat.

he/she told officials that he/she wanted to leave the country. However, officials say he/she may have been gauging Taiwan’s reaction to his/her strategy.

The 60-year-old man, who Taiwan claims is an officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy and has the surname Ruan, is under investigation and questioning, Al Jazeera reported on Tuesday.

Kuan Bi-ling, chairman of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council (OAC), which is in charge of the coast guard, told reporters in parliament that he/she was “quite handsome and has a good personality.”

Speaking to reporters, Taiwan’s Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the boat incident could be another example of China’s “grey zone” actions against the island.

The ‘grey zone strategy’ refers to an irregular strategy of evaluating an area without engaging in open warfare and also includes China sending boats and military aircraft over the self-ruled island.

Earlier, in March, two Taiwanese fishermen had crossed into Chinese waters when they ventured into the area around Kinmen Island, which lies off the Chinese coast. According to Al Jazeera, one of the Taiwanese military officers is still being held in China, while the other was released shortly afterwards.

The most recent incident came at a time of rising tensions between China and Taiwan and there were concerns that China could use force to assert its claim to the island.