Latest news with #TaiwanCoastGuard
Free Malaysia Today
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Taiwan's coast guard hold military drill to better face China's ‘grey zone' threat
Taiwan's coast guard is often first to respond to Chinese activities in the 'grey zone'. (Taiwan Coast Guard/AFP pic) KAOHSIUNG : Taiwan's coast guard held drills with the military today to better practice joint operations in the face of what the government in Taipei says is a growing 'grey zone' threat from China, which claims the island as its own territory. Democratically governed Taiwan has repeatedly complained about activities such as undersea cable cutting and sand dredging by China around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation. It is often Taiwan's coast guard that scrambles first to respond. The drills in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, overseen by president Lai Ching-te, simulated the seizing of a ferry by 'international terrorists'. The coast guard worked with an interior ministry rescue helicopter and army medevac helicopter to board and take back control of the boat and evacuate casualties. A navy anti-submarine helicopter flew over the scene as the drill ended, along with the medevac and rescue helicopters, the first time they have flown together in such a scenario, the coast guard said. 'Taiwan has been facing constant grey intrusion from China, but our coast guard colleagues have always been on the front line to enforce the law and protect the lives and safety of the people of Taiwan,' Lai told the audience for the drills, which included the top US diplomat in Kaohsiung, Neil Gibson. 'The government will continue to consolidate the strength of all departments and strengthen the resilience of the entire society to defend national security and safeguard Taiwan's democracy and freedom,' Lai said. Taiwan's coast guard, which would be pressed into military service in the event of war with China, is also routinely sent out to shadow Chinese ships during Beijing's war games around the island. The coast guard, like the navy, is in the midst of an expansion and modernisation programme. Its new Anping-class corvettes, which began being commissioned in 2020, are based on the navy's Tuo Chiang-class warships. They are state-of-the-art, highly manoeuvrable stealth vessels meant to take out larger warships while operating close to Taiwan's shores. The Anping-class ships, one of which took part in the drill, have space for launchers for the Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng anti-ship and sea-to-land missiles, as well as added equipment for rescue operations. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
Taiwan coast guard, military drill to better face China's 'grey zone' threat
KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan: Taiwan's coast guard held drills with the military on Sunday (Jun 8) to better practice joint operations in the face of what the government in Taipei says is a growing "grey zone" threat from China, which claims the island as its own territory. Democratically governed Taiwan has repeatedly complained about activities such as undersea cable cutting and sand dredging by China around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation. It is often Taiwan's coast guard that scrambles first to respond. The drills in the southern port city of Kaohsiung, overseen by President Lai Ching-te, simulated the seizing of a ferry by "international terrorists". The coast guard worked with an interior ministry rescue helicopter and army medevac helicopter to board and take back control of the boat and evacuate casualties. A navy anti-submarine helicopter flew over the scene as the drill ended, along with the medevac and rescue helicopters, the first time they have flown together in such a scenario, the coast guard said. "Taiwan has been facing constant grey intrusion from China, but our coast guard colleagues have always been on the front line to enforce the law and protect the lives and safety of the people of Taiwan," Lai told the audience for the drills, which included the top US diplomat in Kaohsiung, Neil Gibson. "The government will continue to consolidate the strength of all departments and strengthen the resilience of the entire society to defend national security and safeguard Taiwan's democracy and freedom," Lai said. Taiwan's coast guard, which would be pressed into military service in the event of war with China, is also routinely sent out to shadow Chinese ships during Beijing's war games around the island. The coast guard, like the navy, is in the midst of an expansion and modernisation programme. Its new Anping-class corvettes, which began being commissioned in 2020, are based on the navy's Tuo Chiang-class warships. They are state-of-the-art, highly manoeuvrable stealth vessels meant to take out larger warships while operating close to Taiwan's shores. The Anping-class ships, one of which took part in the drill, have space for launchers for the Taiwan-made Hsiung Feng anti-ship and sea-to-land missiles, as well as added equipment for rescue operations.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Taiwan is not ruling out 'political warfare' by China, coast guard says
TAIPEI (Reuters) -Taiwan's coast guard said on Monday China could try to disrupt public morale on the island ahead of President Lai Ching-te's one-year anniversary this week, after images surfaced on social media of a person planting a Chinese flag on a Taiwan beach. China calls Lai, who completes a year in office on Tuesday, a "separatist", and has rebuffed his offers for talks. Lai rejects China's sovereignty claims over the democratic and entirely separately governed island, saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future. Last week, Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council said Beijing could hold more military drills to "stir up trouble" around the anniversary. On Sunday, images posted on Chinese social media showed a man who claimed to have sailed across the Taiwan Strait on a small boat landing on a remote beach and planting a Chinese flag, before returning to China. The video was later deleted. On Friday, Taiwan's coast guard said it had arrested two Chinese nationals after they sailed into Taiwan illegally on a rubber boat and landed on a beach on the island's northwest coast. Asked about the two incidents, Hsieh Ching-chin, deputy head of Taiwan's coast guard, said China has been taking the opportunity for a while now to carry out drills and use other pressure tactics. "It cannot be ruled out that on the anniversary of President Lai's inauguration, the Chinese communists will again use similar tactics and videos to engage in political warfare to disrupt the morale of our people," he told reporters. Hsieh said the video of the flag planting was indeed taken on the beach in Taiwan's Taoyuan, but whether by someone who crossed over from China, or was helped by someone in Taiwan to film it, was still being investigated. China's Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
