Taiwan braces for new China pressure tactic in disputed strait
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[April 06, 2023]
By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee
TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan officials and defence analysts are bracing for
intensifying pressure on the "median line" that has for decades helped
keep the peace in the Taiwan Strait as China begins inspecting civilian
shipping across the waterway.
China's Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day
special patrol and inspection operation on Wednesday, which is seen in
Taiwan as retaliation for President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting in California
with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
The maritime safety authority in the southeastern Chinese province said
the operation included "on-site inspections" on cargo ships and barges
in the north and centre of the Taiwan Strait "to ensure the safety of
vessel navigation and ensure the safe and orderly operation of key
projects on water".
Taiwan's transport ministry said it had lodged a strong protest with
Beijing and the island's defence minister, Chiu Kuo-cheng, told
lawmakers on Thursday that any Chinese boarding of Taiwanese ships would
be illegal.
"As long as they are ships hoisting our country's flag they are all a
part of our territory," he said.
Taiwan's military will not allow China to "unilaterally" board Taiwanese
ships, he said.
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China claims Taiwan as its own and says the Taiwan Strait is its
sovereign territory and while China has never officially recognised the
median line that a U.S. general devised in 1954 at the height of Cold
War hostility, China's military had for years largely respected it.
But the traditional role played by the imaginary line was thrown into
question last year in the days after the then-U.S. Speaker Nancy Pelosi
visited Taiwan.
China, infuriated by the visit, sent its navy ships on exercises to both
sides of the line but it did not seek to directly stop or board civilian
ships.
China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not respond on Thursday to requests
for comment on Taiwan's criticism of the new patrols, or on whether it
would use force to board Taiwanese ships or whether it would talk to
Taipei to address its concerns.
It is also not clear precisely what action Taiwan will take in response
to the operation that some analysts as a new tactic in a "grey zone"
strategy of attempting to wear down Taiwan with offensive actions that
stop short of full-blown conflict.
'NOT CIVILISED'
A spokesperson for Taiwan's office overseeing relations with Beijing,
the Mainland Affairs Council, said China's inspection operation was "not
civilised" behaviour but they had not yet received reports of harassment
or requests to board ships.
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![](../images/040623PIX/news_w14.jpg)
A Taiwan Coast Guard ship travels past
the coast of China, in the waters off Nangan island of Matsu
archipelago in Taiwan August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
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As to how Taiwan would respond if such actions took place, the
spokesperson, Chan Chih-hung, said: "If you interfere, we will hit
back". He did not elaborate.
A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning said Taiwan
would not allow China to board ships in the Taiwan Strait and that
Taiwan's coast guard and military would jointly respond if China
made a move to do so.
The ship carrying out the patrols is the 128-metre long, 6600-ton
Haixun 06, operated by the maritime safety administration, rather
than heavily armed naval or coast guard vessels.
Commissioning the ship in July last year, Chinese officials said the
Haixun 06 would deal help smooth shipping flows and deal with
accidents, distinguishing it from coast guard and navy vessels that
would deal with "security risks" in the area, the state-backed
Global Times reported at the time.
Chinese state television broadcast live pictures of the Haixun 6 on
patrol, including shaky footage of a Taiwanese coast guard ship
shadowing it in the distance. The footage did not show any vessels
being stopped.
Taiwan's Ocean Affairs Council said it had sent a coast guard ship
to monitor the Chinese vessel and "prevent mainland China from
endangering the freedom of navigation and safety of our citizens in
the waters under our jurisdiction with improper behaviour".
While Taiwanese navy ships shadowed the Chinese navy ships during
the exercises in August, they did not directly confront them -
action they might have been forced to consider if the Chinese ships
had entered Taiwan's contiguous zone, 24 nautical miles (44.4 km)
from its coast, security officials said at the time.
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Chieh Chung, a military researcher at the National Policy Foundation
think tank, said the inspections were designed to show that China
could effectively exercise jurisdiction across the median line.
"Not only is it a 'legal battle' against us but if the scope of
these patrols and checks crosses to the east of the median line, it
will further negate the tacit understanding of that line," Chieh
said.
"It will attract attention without greatly increasing military
tensions."
(Reporting By Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee in Taipei; Writing By Greg
Torode; Editing By)
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