Chinese Coast Guard patrols in the waters east of Taiwan are threatening regional stability and expanding Beijing’s pressure on Taipei, Randall Schriver, chair of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said on October 20.
Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Schriver said that although the Chinese Coast Guard patrols might appear to be routine maritime security operations, they were in fact an attempt to put China’s sovereignty claims into practice. He added that the activities were part of Beijing’s broader legal, political and information warfare against Taiwan.
China considers Taiwan part of its territory and has increased regular Coast Guard patrols in the waters east of the island since June this year. Beijing does not recognize Taiwan’s claims to sovereignty over the surrounding waters.
Taiwanese authorities are also concerned that China may be preparing for a possible maritime blockade of the island by combining military, paramilitary and civilian assets. Joseph Wu, secretary-general of Taiwan’s National Security Council, said at the same forum that China had no legal claim to the waters east of Taiwan.
A July report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission also assessed that China’s regular Coast Guard patrols were intended to strengthen Beijing’s claims to jurisdiction over the waters east of Taiwan.
Meanwhile, US arms support for Taiwan remains a key issue. US President Donald Trump has yet to approve a new arms sales package worth US$14 billion for Taiwan. In December last year, however, he approved US$11 billion in arms sales to the island.
Schriver said Trump had generally maintained a strong record of approving arms sales to Taiwan and providing military training support. However, he suggested that a decision on the new arms package might be delayed until next year.
Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet twice more this year, at the APEC summit in China and the G20 summit in Florida. Schriver said the arms sales issue could therefore be linked to negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
The Taiwan issue remains a major source of security-related disagreement between China and the United States. The Chinese Coast Guard’s activities and Washington’s decisions on arms supplies are likely to continue influencing regional tensions.
Source: Reuters
