Taiwan’s Coast Guard is seeking stronger control over maritime information and ocean surveys as it faces what its authorities describe as intensifying grey-zone pressure from China. Kuan Bi-ling, head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, said on Monday that the island’s ability to protect its waters depended on developing its own picture of activity at sea.
Speaking at a sea-drone forum in Tainan, Kuan said Taiwan’s resources, energy supplies and movement of essential goods were all dependent on the surrounding ocean. She also pointed to the island’s location along a major route for global shipping, arguing that maritime security had consequences beyond Taiwan’s population.
“We maintain that Taiwan’s ocean must be surveyed by ourselves, and that we must master our own information,” Kuan Bi-ling, head of Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council, said.
Coast Guard seeks earlier warning of threats
Taiwan has reported increased activity by Chinese Coast Guard vessels and scientific research ships near waters around the island. Its authorities say these operations are being used to advance Beijing’s claims of sovereignty and jurisdiction without crossing the threshold of open conflict.
Kuan described the challenge as including “grey-zone harassment” — activity intended to apply pressure and exhaust Taiwan’s forces while stopping short of direct combat. She said the Coast Guard needed additional equipment and more complete intelligence so that threats could be detected sooner and responses could be organised more effectively.
- Taiwan says Chinese Coast Guard and research vessels have been operating near its waters.
- Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council wants the Coast Guard to improve equipment and maritime intelligence.
- The island’s authorities describe the activity as grey-zone pressure rather than open warfare.
Disputed jurisdiction at sea
China said on Saturday that it had sent another Coast Guard patrol into waters off Taiwan’s east coast. Taiwan has also reported several instances this year involving Chinese research vessels operating near the island. The Chinese military conducts activity around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, according to the account.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government says China has no jurisdiction over its waters and is violating international law by trying to establish such authority through patrols. Taiwan has further alleged that Chinese authorities have used radio messages to harass merchant ships in waters that are not under Beijing’s jurisdiction.
China recognises no sovereignty claims made by Taiwan. Beijing has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, while saying that it prefers “peaceful reunification”. The competing positions leave maritime surveillance and control at the centre of a wider dispute over access, jurisdiction and the security of shipping routes.
The emphasis on sea drones and independently collected maritime data reflects Taiwan’s stated effort to strengthen its ability to identify activity around the island before it develops into a larger confrontation. For regional security planners, the immediate issue described by Taiwan is not a declared conflict but the persistent use of coast guard, research and military activity to contest control of surrounding waters.
