Coast guard should manage island waters, not military: KMT lawmaker

Taipei, June 26 (CNA) A Kuomintang (KMT) lawmaker on Thursday defended a proposal to transfer authority over restricted and prohibited waters near Taiwan-controlled islands close to China from Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) to the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC).

Speaking at a press conference held by the KMT legislative caucus, Chen Yeong-kang (陳永康) said the change -- which would affect Taiwan's outlying Kinmen County and Lienchiang County (Matsu islands) is intended to reduce cross-strait conflict and does not involve any concession of sovereignty.

Chen said the amendment to the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area would allow enforcement by Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA), which is supervised by the OAC, rather than the military.

The MND and OAC have both formally expressed opposition to the amendment.

Chen argued that military vessels do not normally operate in restricted waters during peacetime, and only open fire during wartime when unidentified objects enter the area without prior notification.

Chen cited an incident on Feb. 14, 2024, in which an unregistered Chinese vessel capsized near the island of Kinmen, saying the capsizing was caused by law enforcement actions rather than military activity.

He said even if enforcement vessels from both sides collide or exchange water cannon fire, it does not meet the conditions for an armed conflict -- unless a military vessel becomes involved.

Chen said the proposal is intended to reduce conflict by allowing law enforcement personnel on both sides -- Taiwan's coast guard and China's coast guard -- to communicate directly.

At a separate press conference, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) and DPP lawmaker Chen Pei-yu (陳培瑜) said the proposal would "internalize Taiwan's territorial waters," redefine Taiwan Strait conflict as "civil war," and create "a vacuum in international support."

They also criticized other KMT-backed amendments to the Offshore Islands Development Act, saying they would help China circumvent place of origin labeling requirements and "open a national security back door."