Taipei in turn blamed Beijing, saying the boat was “within prohibited waters” around the Kinmen islands — a territory administered by Taiwan but located just five kilometres (three miles) from China’s city of Xiamen.Wednesday’s incident comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions across the Taiwan Strait.Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory and has vowed to one day bring the self-ruled island under its control.Taiwan’s presidential election, held in January, was won by the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing considers a “separatist”.Chinese President Xi Jinping has in recent years ramped up rhetoric for the “unification” of Taiwan with China.And Beijing has stepped up its military presence near Taiwan, deploying warplanes and naval vessels around the island on a nearly daily basis.
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