Taiwan’s Resilience Committee recently held a tabletop exercise on countering maritime coercion, particularly on high-intensity gray-zone threats disrupting maritime traffic & international shipping safety. 11 gov't ministries participated & briefed results to President Lai. 1/
Scenarios in the TTX simulated China’s Coast Guard unilaterally demanding ships in the region to complete declarations with Chinese authorities, leading to increasing coercive measures such as inspections, boardings and detaining of vessels, disrupting maritime logistics. 2/
In response, participants focused on countermeasures such as frontline law enforcement by Taiwan’s Coast Guard, while the military engaged in rapid response exercises & raised readiness levels. Other ministries focused on resilience-building measures & preparations … 3/
… including two-way communications with commercial ships; monitoring stockpiles of energy & supplies to determine priorities & coordinate on security measures for vessels; and strategic communications on China’s actions violating international law and freedom of navigation. 4/
President Lai issued instructions to bolster inter-agency resilience: including on maritime domain intelligence, communications with shipping industry, use of uncrewed systems to protect logistics, & reviewing stockpiles & procurement measures. 5/5
Notes on the recent Chinese boat that capsized near Kinmen Island after being pursued by Taiwan’s Coast Guard. 🧵
It is regrettable that 2 deaths occurred in the recent accident. The Chinese boat evicted by Taiwan’s Coast Guard fits the description of “3 Nos”: No ship name, No ship certificate, No registered port 三無船舶. Its activities are considered illegal in both China and Taiwan. 1/n
China should view this unfortunate incident as an issue of law enforcement that the two sides can work on together, in a responsible way. Political interpretations or reactions should be avoided. 2/n
Together with @hungsunhan, earlier this week we called on prosecutors to investigate the mass smuggling of Australian rock lobsters, with at least 60 tonnes smuggled from Taiwan into the Chinese market through 33 ship-to-ship transfers near the Matsu Islands. 1/
The smugglers shipped in lobsters from Taiwan to Matsu through both air & sea routes. They then falsely declared Daqiu Island as a “domestic” shipping destination. Navigational tracing reveals that the smugglers instead headed north to meet with Chinese counterparts. 2/
Interestingly, Daqiu is an unpopulated islet home to a hundred Formosan sika deer, which do not eat any lobster. It is bewildering that county authorities could authorize the shipment of 60 tonnes of lobster to Daqiu between Sep. and Nov. last year. 3/
Frankly I’m disappointed at the hyperbolic response leading up to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit from certain "China experts" in the West. If a Chinese state-media pundit claims that China will attack a foreign delegation, and you believe it, then you’re probably not an expert on China.1/
When China issues violent threats, people in Taiwan heighten our level of alertness and observe actual actions that follow the remarks, such as limited displays of force. We don’t ignore the comments, but we should focus on avoiding civilian accidents in the process. 2/
We focus on keeping people safe during these displays, instead of panicking over proclamations of full war, which would require months to prepare. We even maintain interactions with Chinese govt agencies that are NOT issuing exaggerated remarks, such as on a local level. 3/