Coast guard patrols are to focus more on the nation’s outlying islands amid threats posed by Chinese “maritime militias,” the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said on Thursday.
It has reassigned ships and updated procedures for reacting to threats, the agency said.
The remarks came as the Ocean Affairs Council delivered a report on the enforcement of maritime law.
Photo: CNA
There have been reports that Chinese fishing boats operating on the Taiwanese side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line often carry plainclothes Chinese coast guard officers, CGA Deputy Director-General Hsu Ching-chih (許靜芝) said, calling the deployment an example of China’s “gray zone” warfare.
The threat posed by fishing boats deployed as part of China’s “maritime militia” is controllable, Hsu said, adding that no median line crossings have been reported after Beijing’s military exercises in August.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that Thursday’s report showed that Taiwan had expelled 6,000 Chinese vessels and impounded 230 Chinese ships over the past five years.
Amendments to the Act on the Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf of the Republic of China (中華民國專屬經濟海域及大陸礁層法) and the Sand and Gravel Excavation Act (土石採取法) have significantly reduced Chinese efforts to illegally dredge sand in Taiwanese waters, Su said.
Executive Yuan spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said that 2020 marked the height of Taiwan’s efforts to expel Chinese ships illegally dredging sand in the nation’s waters, with 3,422 such incidents.
After the amendments and the increased patrols, Taiwan expelled 339 ships last year, Lo said, adding that the number had fallen to 89 such incidents in the first nine months of this year.
Before the amendments, Chinese ships illegally dredging sand in the nation’s waters were often fined and let go, giving their crews the impression that the profits outweighed the costs, Lo said.
Separately, Hsu said that an incident involving a research vessel operated by National Taiwan University’s Institute of Oceanography and a Japanese coast guard ship east of Taiwan proper was not a “standoff.”
The nation’s coast guard escorted the ship while it was conducting research near where Taiwanese and Japanese territorial claims overlap and was aware of the vessel’s whereabouts at all times during its mission, Hsu said.
Research ships must apply with the Ocean Affairs Council before conducting research in the area, Hsu added.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS