The US government has described China dispatching coast guard vessels to waters east of Taiwan as “deeply destabilizing,” and called on Beijing to end its pressure campaign against Taipei.
The China Coast Guard on Friday said a formation led by its vessel Xiushan (秀山艦) had intensified patrols in waters east of Taiwan.
“Since July, the Xiushan task force has strengthened control over the relevant waters to effectively ensure orderly navigation and maritime activities,” China Coast Guard spokesperson Jiang Lue (姜略) said.
The move aimed to safeguard the “legitimate rights and interests, as well as the lives and property, of fishers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait,” Jiang added.
Commenting on China’s statement, an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson reiterated Washington’s concerns over Chinese patrols near Taiwan.
“The US remains concerned by Chinese Coast Guard activity east of Taiwan. China’s actions are deeply destabilizing,” they said. “By asserting authority over maritime areas that Taiwan has peacefully administered for over 70 years, China only exacerbates tensions and undermines the peaceful resolution of issues that it claims to seek.”
“We urge Beijing to cease its pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected authorities,” the spokesperson said.
China has since June been launching “special maritime law enforcement operations” in waters east of Taiwan in response to Japan-Philippine talks on maritime boundary delimitation in the area.
The talks seriously infringed on China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights, Beijing said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016 ruled that China’s maritime claims over the South China Sea had no legal basis under international law.
The Coast Guard Administration on Friday said it was closely monitoring China’s vessels with the 4,000-tonne Chiayi-class vessel Taipei (CG5005).
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said he does not support any change to the “status quo” and opposes any coercive attempt to alter it.
That position has been made clear in meetings with Chinese officials, he said, but acknowledged that Beijing has a different view and considers the issue highly sensitive.
“Any conflict between the US and China, be it economic or military, God forbid, would be catastrophic for both countries and for the world,” Rubio said. “So, we have to manage that, but we can’t walk away or forfeit our national interest. So, this is the hard work of foreign policy, and it requires every administration to sort of balance these two competing tugs against us.”
The world’s two most powerful countries must establish a relationship, maintain dialogue and reduce the risk of conflict as much as possible; otherwise, the consequences could be extremely serious, Rubio added.
