US Commission chair warns China Coast Guard patrols East of Taiwan are 'Highly Destabilising'

Taipei: China's persistent Coast Guard patrols east of Taiwan are "highly destabilising" and represent an extension of Beijing's legal, political and information warfare against Taipei, Randall Schriver, chair of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, said, according to a report by the Taipei Times.

Speaking at a forum in Taipei, Schriver described the regular Chinese Coast Guard patrols off Taiwan's east coast, which have increased since June, as one of the most concerning recent developments. He warned that Beijing was using ostensibly civilian law enforcement activities to reinforce its sovereignty claims over Taiwan.

"This is an extension of legal warfare and political and information warfare. This is highly destabilising if they continue to operationalise this law enforcement role," Schriver said, as cited by the Taipei Times.


Read more: China sends naval forces to monitor US warship near disputed shoal

China claims Taiwan as its territory and has not renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Taiwanese officials believe Beijing is using the patrols to prepare for a potential maritime blockade involving overlapping military, paramilitary and civilian assets, the report said.

Speaking at the same event, Taiwan National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu said China had no legal claim to the waters east of Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the report.

The developments come amid continued security concerns over Beijing's military and maritime activities around Taiwan. The United States remains the island's most important international backer and principal arms supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and Taipei.

Read more: Waiver 60-day pause; Europe refused to sanction China, India over Russia oil, says US

However, US President Donald Trump has yet to approve a proposed US$14 billion arms package for Taiwan. According to the Taipei Times, Trump described such weapons sales as a "very good negotiating chip" in May after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing. In December last year, Trump approved US$11 billion in arms for Taiwan.

Schriver, a former US assistant secretary of defence, said Trump had maintained a strong record on approving weapons sales to Taiwan and providing military training. However, he suggested that progress on the pending arms package might not occur until next year, given the likelihood of further meetings between Trump and Xi.

The two leaders are expected to meet again at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China and the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Florida, the report noted.

Schriver said Washington could restructure the proposed package to facilitate its approval, including by dividing it into smaller portions or changing the arrangements under which the weapons are supplied.

"I think they'll find a way, whether it's splitting the package up or reimagining some of it as DCS or FMS," he said, referring to direct commercial sales and foreign military sales.

Schriver added that support for the proposed arms package remained strong within the US Congress and across much of the government bureaucracy, according to the Taipei Times.