CGA appoints vice admiral as deputy head to counter China threat

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Vice Admiral Yuan Sheng-hua (原聖華) on Thursday became the first Navy officer to serve as a deputy director-general of the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), tasked with improving coordination between the Navy and Coast Guard in response to maritime pressure from China.

According to the agency, no active-duty Navy officer has previously been appointed CGA deputy director-general or director-general. Yuan was promoted to his current rank on the same day at a ceremony presided over by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) at the Presidential Office.

"I expect Vice Admiral Yuan to draw on his experience to promote coordination between the Navy and Coast Guard, strengthen maritime intelligence sharing, and ensure that maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, as well as emergency response, are closely coordinated so that we can jointly safeguard the country's maritime territory," Lai said at the event.

In a statement, Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said that in the face of China's gray-zone activities and complex national security threats, the CGA needed someone familiar with maritime defense operations and the transition between peacetime and wartime conditions, making Yuan an ideal candidate for the post.

Yuan becomes the agency's third deputy director-general after the position was created through amendments to the Coast Guard Administration Organization Act passed in June.

The CGA said the creation of the new post addresses changes in the maritime situation surrounding Taiwan and the evolving geopolitical landscape.

It is also aimed at advancing a "sea-air integration" strategy, technological transformation and preparations for transitions between peacetime and wartime operations, the agency said.

Yuan previously served as deputy chief of staff of the Navy, director of the Strategic Analysis Division under the Ministry of National Defense's Department of Strategic Planning, commander of the Navy's 192nd Fleet, and director of the Navy's Training and Readiness Division.