Taiwan urges China not to change 'status quo' around waters near Kinmen islands

China said this week it would boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan.

Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council on Friday urged China not to change the "status quo" around waters near Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas.

"The current situation across the Strait should be controllable," the council's deputy head and spokesperson Jan Jyh-horng told a press conference. Beijing last month began regular coast guard patrols around the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, which hug the Chinese coast, after two Chinese fishermen died trying to flee Taiwan's coast guard.

China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the island's strong objections. It has in recent years increased military activities near Taiwan, including almost-daily incursions into the island's air defence identification zones. China said this week it would boost its defence spending by 7.2% this year, fuelling a military budget that has more than doubled under President Xi Jinping's 11 years in office as Beijing hardens its stance on Taiwan.