TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) will meet with Chinese authorities in Kinmen on Wednesday (July 24) to discuss a speedboat crash that occurred in February, killing two Chinese fishers.  

The MAC issued a press release on Tuesday (July 23) that said both sides had agreed to meet at Kinmen’s Golden Lake Hotel on Wednesday morning to continue negotiations over the incident. “We look forward to completing the proper handling of related issues,” the press release said.

Kinmen County Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) said in a Facebook post that a consensus is expected to be signed between both sides during the meeting. She said the meeting was the result of communication efforts from all parties.

Chen expressed optimism that an agreement between both sides regarding the speedboat incident may also result in a Taiwanese fisher being returned from China’s custody. She also suggested it may mean the resumption of Chinese tourism to Kinmen.

China has blamed Taiwan’s government for the deaths of the fishers in February. The Taiwan Coast Guard said that the officers involved in the incident acted according to protocol.