DEFENSE/China coast guard 'patrols' around Taiwan military in nature: Minister

Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) Chinese coast guard ships deployed in conjunction with Chinese Navy vessels in military exercises held near Taiwan should be seen as part of the drills and not just law enforcement, Taiwan's defense minister said Thursday.

At a legislative hearing on Thursday, ruling Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker Loh Meei-ling (羅美玲) said China deployed the largest number of coast guard ships recorded during a single operation since 2020 during the Joint Sword-2024B military drills on Monday.

China deployed 17 coast guard ships during Monday's drills in waters around Taiwan, including five vessels off Matsu Island, Dongyin Island, and the offshore Wuqiu Township, according to Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND).

Furthermore, Loh said, the 12,000-tonne Chinese coast guard vessel 2901, whose firepower is equivalent to a second-class Navy battleship, was also deployed during Joint Sword-2024B.

Referring to an image released by China's coast guard Monday that has been widely shared online, Loh said China seemed to have wanted to lower the guard of the Taiwanese people, which could increase the risk of China launching a surprise attack on Taiwan by quickly switching military drills into an invasion.

In the image, China's coast guard claimed that it had circumnavigated Taiwan proper in a "law enforcement patrol" conducted during Monday's drills and showed the paths taken for the patrol to be the shape of a heart.

The image was captioned in Chinese: "The patrol is in the shape of loving you."

Asked by Loh to comment, Defense Minister Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said Chinese coast guard vessels acting in concert with the Chinese Navy in a military exercise should not be seen as carrying out law enforcement duties, but as part of the exercise.

The MND has prepared for scenarios in which Chinese forces suddenly switched a training mission into a military exercise and a military exercise into an invasion, Koo said.

These simulations were carried out during this year's Han Kuan military exercises, he added.

It was evident that China's coast guard attempted to wage legal, cognitive, and psychological warfare against the people of Taiwan with its "law enforcement" on Monday, Koo said.

This tactic was meant to give the impression that the Taiwan Strait is China's "internal waters" and the Taiwan issue is China's "internal affair," he explained.

Taiwan's Navy will ensure sufficient and timely sharing of intelligence with the country's Coast Guard Administration and work together in responding to any possible "gray zone" harassment by China's coast guard, Koo added.