The United States has released a rare photo of the American and Taiwanese coastguards operating together at sea, as Beijing expands maritime law enforcement in waters east of the island.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) – the de facto US embassy in Taipei – posted the undated image on social media on Tuesday, saying the two sides were coordinating on search, rescue, disaster relief and maritime law enforcement.
“The United States appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and safety, and supports Taiwan’s meaningful contributions on global issues including maritime law enforcement exchange and international cooperation,” the AIT said.
The statement made no mention of Beijing, but analysts said the timing underscored Washington’s support for Taiwan.
It was also seen as a warning to Beijing over its expanded coastguard presence in waters that could be crucial to US or Japanese efforts to help Taiwan during a conflict.
The US released the photo weeks after Beijing announced that its coastguard had begun “routine law enforcement patrols” in waters east of Taiwan.
Beijing ramped up its coastguard presence in the area on June 1 after Japan and the Philippines launched formal negotiations to delimit their exclusive economic zones and maritime boundary. Beijing said the talks infringed on its maritime rights and territorial sovereignty.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve reunification. Most countries – including the United States, Taiwan’s main international backer – do not recognise the island as an independent state. However, Washington is opposed to any attempt to take it by force.
Analysts said the waters east of Taiwan had become increasingly important in military planning because they were one of the few relatively secure approaches for foreign naval forces.
In the event of a People’s Liberation Army attack or blockade, the area would likely become a key corridor through which the United States and Japan could deliver military reinforcements, fuel and other critical supplies, they said.
That makes those waters strategically significant, according to Chung Chih-tung, an assistant research fellow at the government-funded Institute for National Defence and Security Research (INDSR) in Taipei.
“China’s sustained operations there not only allow it to familiarise itself with the operating environment and collect maritime intelligence, but also serve as preparations for a potential conflict and support its broader anti-access/area denial [A2/AD] strategy,” Chung said.
Rather than staging large-scale military exercises around Taiwan, he said Beijing was increasingly using coastguard and other government vessels to maintain a regular presence east of the island.
That approach reduces the international backlash and political costs of the military drills while reinforcing Beijing’s sovereignty claims and testing the response of Taiwan and other players in the region.
According to Taiwan’s defence ministry, mainland Chinese coastguard and other government vessels carried out 110 operations around Taiwan in June. By July 26, another 110 operations had been conducted, suggesting Beijing is seeking to normalise a permanent presence around the island.
Last month, a mainland Chinese coastguard vessel radioed three foreign merchant ships transiting waters east of Taiwan, demanding crew information, in what Taiwanese officials described as an attempt to establish a precedent for exercising jurisdiction.
Beijing has also expanded the role of other agencies in reinforcing its maritime claims.
Last week the agriculture ministry said one of its fisheries research vessels had completed a week-long survey east of Taiwan to assess resources “under China’s jurisdiction”, prompting protests from Taipei.
Shen Yu-chung, deputy head of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council, described Beijing’s actions as “illegal and unjustified” and said Taipei had lodged formal protests.
He warned that if the international community accepted Beijing’s so-called routine law enforcement activities, foreign merchant vessels transiting the area could face harassment.
Shen said Taiwan would continue raising the issue with Beijing through existing communication channels and, where appropriate, through “third parties”, though he did not identify them.
He noted that Japan, the Philippines and the United States had all rejected Beijing’s claim that it had legitimate law enforcement authority in the area.
Su Tzu-yun, a senior analyst at INDSR, said the AIT’s decision to release the photo on Tuesday was “a targeted act of deterrence with clear strategic signal”.
He said Beijing appeared to be establishing a permanent coastguard presence east of Taiwan that could eventually support a maritime quarantine rather than a conventional naval blockade.
“The concern is that the coastguard could shift from patrols to enforcement,” he said. “That would allow Beijing to launch a surprise maritime quarantine or isolation operation against Taiwan.”
Chen Kuo-ming, a military expert and editor of the Taipei-based monthly magazine Defence International, said the strategy could ultimately threaten the sea lanes linking Taiwan with Japan.
“If conflict were to break out, Beijing would likely focus on the supply route off Taiwan’s northeastern coast,” he said.
“The shipping lane running from Yilan and Suao towards Yonaguni would become a critical lifeline connecting Taiwan with the outside world during wartime.”
Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, lies just 111km (69 miles) east of Taiwan. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
