U.S., U.K., France, Germany Issue Joint Warning Over Chinese Coast Guard Patrols Near Taiwan
By Yimou Lee, Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina
TAIPEI/WASHINGTON, June 24 (Reuters) — The United States, Britain, France and Germany issued a rare joint condemnation on Wednesday over what they described as “deeply destabilizing” Chinese Coast Guard patrols off the eastern coast of Taiwan, accusing Beijing of threatening freedom of navigation and regional security.
China, which considers self-governed Taiwan a part of its territory, deployed multiple Coast Guard vessels earlier this month into waters east of the island for what it called a “special maritime traffic law-enforcement operation.” Taipei condemned the move as an unlawful assertion of jurisdiction.
Beijing said the patrols were a response to announcements by Japan and the Philippines that they would begin formal talks on maritime boundary demarcation — waters China claims as part of its exclusive economic zone off Taiwan. China has also dispatched survey ships to the same area in recent weeks.
“China’s actions are deeply destabilizing,” a U.S. State Department spokesperson said, reacting to reports that Chinese Coast Guard vessels had harassed commercial ships transiting the area. “We reject any assertion by China of authority to interfere with freedoms of navigation or overflight, the freedom to lay cables, or other lawful uses of the sea.”
The de facto British, French and German embassies in Taipei — officially called representative offices — released a joint statement expressing concern. “These actions threaten regional stability and the freedom of navigation and safety of international shipping,” the statement read. “We reiterate our opposition to any unilateral change to the status quo, particularly by threat or use of force or coercion.”
The Western allies stressed that “all navigational rights and freedoms and the safety of seafarers and vessels must be guaranteed and respected.”
China’s foreign ministry had not responded to a request for comment by the time of publication.
None of the four countries maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but like many Western capitals, they have repeatedly voiced concern over Beijing’s growing pressure on the island, whose government rejects China’s sovereignty claims.
Merchant Ships ‘Harassed’
Taiwan has said the waters off its east coast are not Chinese and that Beijing has no right to claim any form of jurisdiction. According to Taipei, three passing merchant vessels were “harassed” by Chinese Coast Guard personnel, who demanded information about their origin and destination and asserted jurisdictional authority.
China said its Coast Guard operation inspected 198 passing vessels, “rectified violations” involving three ships, conducted a hydrographic survey, and patrolled areas where undersea cables are located.
Speaking to reporters in Beijing earlier on Wednesday, Zhang Han, a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said the waters Japan and the Philippines were seeking to delineate fall within China’s exclusive economic zone. She described the patrols as “lawful, legitimate and necessary,” and said they constituted a just action to “safeguard national sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.”
The incident underscores an increasingly tense standoff in the waters near Taiwan, where China has stepped up naval and coast guard activity in recent years, prompting a growing chorus of international concern over the potential for miscalculation or escalation.
(Reporting by Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard in Taipei and Michael Martina in Washington; Editing by Christian Schmollinger, Milla Nissi-Prussak, David Dolan, Rod Nickel)