Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council chief Kuan Bi-ling said Monday the island must survey its waters and strengthen maritime intelligence to protect shipping, energy supplies and economic links.
Kuan, head of the council that oversees Taiwan’s Coast Guard, said Taiwan must chart surrounding waters itself and take charge of the information collected. She spoke at a sea-drone forum in Tainan, Reuters reported.
She connected the effort to the island’s reliance on the sea for energy, natural resources and the movement of supplies. Kuan described Taiwan as lying on “one of the most important shipping routes in the global supply chain” and said protecting its waters matters to people’s daily lives and economic development worldwide.
Taiwan has complained that Chinese Coast Guard and research ships are being used to press Beijing’s sovereignty and jurisdiction claims around the island. Kuan called the activity “grey-zone harassment,” describing pressure below open conflict that can strain Taiwan’s forces.
She said the Coast Guard needs more equipment and intelligence capacity to recognize possible threats sooner and respond more effectively.
A new Chinese Coast Guard patrol was dispatched off Taiwan’s east coast on Saturday, Beijing said, Reuters reported. Taiwan also says Chinese research vessels have sailed near the island in several cases this year. The Chinese military has maintained activity around Taiwan on nearly every day, Reuters reported. Taiwan previously sent vessels to monitor a Chinese patrol off its east coast, as an earlier EconoTimes account described.
Taiwan’s elected government says Beijing has no jurisdiction over the island’s waters and that the patrols violate international law. Taipei has also accused China of using radio messages to harass merchant ships in waters it says are outside Chinese jurisdiction, Reuters reported. China rejects Taiwan’s sovereignty claims and says peaceful reunification is its preference, while not ruling out force to bring the island under its control.
