TAIWAN-DEFENCE
Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council Chairperson Kuan Bi-ling stated that Taiwan should conduct its own marine surveys and acquire information about its maritime areas to enhance its maritime monitoring and early warning capabilities. The suggested images are those of Kuan Bi-ling attending a forum on unmanned maritime vehicles or footage of Taiwan Coast Guard vessels on patrol.

As China continues to increase patrols and research vessel activity in waters around Taiwan, Ocean Affairs Council Chairwoman Kuan Bi-ling said on Nov. 2 that Taiwan must conduct its own maritime surveys, improve its understanding of surrounding waters and strengthen the Coast Guard Administration’s equipment and intelligence capabilities to detect potential threats early and safeguard maritime security.

According to a Reuters report published Nov. 2, Kuan made the remarks while attending a forum on unmanned maritime vehicles in Tainan. She said Taiwan’s natural resources, energy supplies and cargo transport all depend on the sea. Because Taiwan lies along major global shipping routes, maritime security affects not only people’s daily lives but also global supply chains and economic development.

Kuan said China has increased its activities in waters around Taiwan in recent years through vessels including coast guard and research vessels, creating what is known as gray-zone pressure. Such actions may not directly amount to military conflict, but they can steadily drain the resources of Taiwan’s coast guard and other security agencies while adding to the burden of law enforcement and surveillance.

She stressed that Taiwan must conduct its own maritime surveys and obtain complete and reliable information about the sea. To address these challenges, the Coast Guard Administration needs more advanced equipment and intelligence systems to improve its early-warning and response capabilities.

Reuters reported that China’s coast guard had recently announced another patrol in waters east of Taiwan, while Taiwan has also reported multiple instances this year of Chinese research vessels operating in waters around the island. Taiwan’s government maintains that China has no jurisdiction over waters surrounding Taiwan and opposes Beijing’s efforts to expand its claims through patrols. China, meanwhile, does not recognize Taiwan’s sovereignty claims.

As maritime activity around the Taiwan Strait increases, the development of maritime monitoring, coast guard equipment and unmanned maritime systems is becoming an increasingly important issue for Taiwan’s efforts to safeguard its waters and strengthen supply-chain resilience.