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Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang said he was seeking more information about the boat’s interrogation
Chinese authorities have arrested at least 10 people after intercepting a boat believed to be traveling from Hong Kong to Taiwan, local reports say.
The Chinese Coast Guard said the arrests were made on Sunday morning near the southern province of Guangdong, near Hong Kong.
Hong Kong media reports said those on board were trying to reach the ship in Taiwan to seek political asylum.
Reports said Hong Kong activist Andy Li was among those arrested.
Mr Li, who was arrested earlier this month for alleged collusion with foreign forces and money laundering, was arrested on suspicion of “illegally crossing the border,” the South China Morning Post reported, citing police sources.
It was not immediately clear with what those now can be charged in custody. Attempts by Hong Kong people to flee the area by boat are considered rare.
Hong Kong has seen a wave of arrests of activists in recent weeks under a controversial national security law imposed by China in June.
The security law, opposed by many in Hong Kong, punishes what Beijing broadly defines as subversion, secession, terrorism and collusion with foreign troops with up to and including life in prison.
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The number of arrests has raised fears that China will use its security law to take a broad action against Hong Kong’s pro-democracy activists and media figures.
Hong Kong was returned to British control by China in 1997, but under a unique agreement – “one country, two systems” – that gives the area freedoms not seen on the mainland.
But critics have accused China of eroding those freedoms, leading to protests in Hong Kong and political tensions between Beijing and the international community.
What do we know about the arrests?
A post on Guangdong’s Coast Guard social media on Wednesday said the detainees were being held on suspicion of crossing the border illegally.
It said investigations were underway but gave a few other details. But two of the detainees were partially identified by their last names, Li and Tang.
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The Chinese Coast Guard said on Sunday morning it was intercepting the ship off the coast of southern Guangdong province.
The South China Morning Post said sources from police in Hong Kong and mainland China confirmed that Andy Li was named the Li.
At least one other person on board had previously been arrested on charges related to anti-government protests last year, the newspaper said.
Hong Kong Police Commissioner Chris Tang said on Thursday that he was aware of the boat replacement, but added: “At the moment we do not have any information from the relevant authorities for the mainland.”
What is the role of Taiwan in this?
Taiwan, a self-governing island off the south-east coast of China, has sought to help Hong Kongers fear a political upheaval by Beijing.
In July, Taiwan opened an office to enable Hong Kong people to emigrate to the island. The office received more than 1,000 questions in its first month alone.
Taiwan has been independent for all practical purposes since 1950, but China considers it a rebel province that must be united with the mainland – if necessary by force.
This has resulted in political acrimony, with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen accusing China of trying to force the island to accept Chinese sovereignty.
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Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has rejected China’s call for sovereignty over the island
President Ing-wen increased those tensions on Thursday by warning of an increased risk of accidental conflict in the waters around China.
The president complained about Chinese military activities on the island, saying better communication was needed to prevent “miscalculations”.
What’s Happening in the South China Sea?
The US and China have also held military exercises in the disputed South China Sea.
The sea has become a flashpoint in recent years for tensions between China and other peoples demanding sovereignty over two largely uninhabited island chains, the Paracels and the Spratlys.
China on Wednesday launched two missiles into the South China Sea, a move that analysts saw as a warning to the US.
- Why is the South China Sea controversial?
- What is China’s plan for its ‘Great Wall of Sand’?
The rocket launches came on the same day that the US announced sanctions on two dozen Chinese companies for their role in building artificial islands in the South China Sea.
Speaking in Hawaii, U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said China and the United States were in a “competition of great power.”
Beijing’s Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said China would not “dance to the tune of the United States”.
