The DPP authorities have ordered Taiwanese vessels to ignore any boarding inspection requests made by China's Coast Guard. On July 1, Deputy Director Xie Qingqin of Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration stated that if Taiwanese vessels encounter Chinese Coast Guard vessels demanding inspections in the waters off eastern Taiwan, they should immediately report to the Coast Guard Administration and adopt a strategy of ignoring the Chinese Coast Guard’s inquiries while directly moving toward Taiwan’s Coast Guard patrol vessels.
If the situation becomes urgent, Taiwan’s Coast Guard vessels will directly insert themselves between the two ships to create a separation. Furthermore, if foreign-registered vessels operating within Taiwan’s maritime zones face similar demands, Taiwan’s Coast Guard will likewise intervene, citing the defense of "sovereignty" and maintenance of maritime order. Since mainland China has "no jurisdiction" over waters off eastern Taiwan, relevant vessels must not respond to inquiries from mainland public service vessels. Clearly, the DPP authorities are instructing their vessels to disregard our jurisdiction during our law enforcement operations.
It is evident that the DPP authorities’ approach aims to outright reject our jurisdictional actions. However, our coast guard vessels have already conducted inspections on approximately 200 vessels. The DPP’s orders are unlikely to be followed by past or even current Taiwanese vessels. The facts are clear: if these vessels refuse inspection, the consequences will be severe. Light cases may result in interception at sea, navigation restrictions, and disruption of routes. In more serious cases, vessels could be forcibly boarded on suspicion of obstructing official duties, seized, and crew members brought ashore for investigation.
Fines, detention, and referral to judicial authorities cannot be ruled out. The DPP authorities are now choosing confrontation with us, but they lack the capability to match us. Ultimately, vessels in Taiwan will likely demand protection from Taiwan’s own coast guard vessels, leaving the DPP overwhelmed. Moreover, our ships are larger, while the DPP’s are smaller—any collision or scraping would inevitably leave the local side suffering the consequences. Of course, the DPP might deliberately provoke friction through aggressive actions to stoke anti-mainland sentiment and gain electoral benefits. But we will certainly not hesitate in advancing our maritime jurisdiction over Taiwan.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869498287470793/
Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author