Taiwan’s Defense Minister Wellington Koo denounced Chinese Coast Guard activities in waters east of the island as aggressive actions on Monday, promising military coordination with Taiwan’s maritime forces in response.
Beijing, which considers the democratically-ruled island part of its territory, became upset last month when Japan and the Philippines announced they would start official discussions about establishing their maritime borders in what China sees as waters near Taiwan. This delimitation process involves legally defining a nation’s territorial boundaries at sea.
Chinese state media reported late Saturday that vessels had been deployed for what they called a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation” in eastern Taiwan waters, responding to the Japanese-Philippine border talks announcement.
Taiwan’s maritime authorities dispatched their own vessels to confront the Chinese ships and announced Sunday that they had successfully “expelled” them from restricted areas.
“First this is a provocative act, and second it is cognitive warfare,” Koo told parliament members.
“They are attempting to first claim the eastern waters as their domain, like casting a large spider’s web over the area,” he continued. “This is a serious affront to our national sovereignty.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had not provided a response to requests for comment. Beijing does not acknowledge any Taiwanese sovereignty claims.
Koo explained that military forces would maintain collaboration with the Coast Guard through ongoing intelligence coordination.
“We will also carry out a very thorough and detailed division of responsibilities with them and at all times act in accordance with resource agreements to safeguard our national sovereignty and maritime security,” he stated.
Taiwan’s naval forces typically track and issue warnings to Chinese military vessels, while the Coast Guard handles monitoring of Chinese maritime patrol ships and would support naval operations during wartime.
Chinese military aircraft and naval vessels already conduct operations near Taiwan almost every day.
Taiwan is also tracking an ongoing deployment of China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning in the Western Pacific region. Koo reported the vessel was currently positioned in waters east of the Philippines.
China has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its authority. Taiwan’s leadership dismisses Beijing’s territorial claims.
