A man who had allegedly been swimming for nearly 10 hours to escape China was forced to surrender before reaching Taiwan due to a bee sting.
The Chinese national is said to be in his forties and reportedly made the treacherous journey Fujian Province to Taiwan’s Matsu Islands on Monday.
He was helped by tourists near the Beigan Township on Beigan Island after suffering a bee sting.
The tourists informed the local authorities, who confirmed the man’s identity as an illegal Chinese immigrant when they arrived at the scene, according to CNA.
The man was taken to the Beigan health center but did not have any serious injuries, an official said.
He was later taken to the Lienchiang district prosecutor’s office for investigation, the officials added.
The Chinese national had been carrying dry food, clothing, medicine and Chinese money, authorities claimed.
He told officials that he set off on the dangerous journey to “seek freedom” from Huangqi Peninsula in China’s Fujian Province.
Beigan Island is the second largest island in Matsu, an archipelago of 36 islands and islets in the East China Sea around 7.5 miles from the Huangqi Peninsula.
The mainland island of Taiwan is around 100 miles from the coast of south-east China.
In February, the Matsu islands were cut off from the outside world after two submarine internet cables were severed by Chinese ships.
In fact, cables in Matsu have been damaged nearly 30 times over the last five years, normally due to Chinese fishing boats dropping anchors and nets. This has left the population subject to blackouts.
Taiwan, a self-governing democracy split, from Beijing in 1949 following a civil war.
But under Beijing’s “One-China” policy, the Chinese government still recognizes the island as part of the country.
China’s military often performs maneuvers over Taiwan, having repeatedly threatened to take the island by force if necessary.
President Xi Jinping said during a speech at the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress: “We will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary.”
Western leaders, human rights groups, and academics appear to agree that the Chinese president is at the wheel of a relentless dictatorship.
By April 2022, Xi had placed 4.7 million officials under investigation, purging many who could have challenged his power.
In 2018, he scrapped the two-term limit on the presidency, offering the potential for the autocrat to rule for life.
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