Taiwan says US training coast guard as China ramps up patrols

Taiwan announced on Friday that the United States is currently training its coast guard in maritime patrol and law enforcement skills. This comes after an increase in Chinese activity in Taiwan's waters. China asserts that Taiwan is part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the waters surrounding the island democracy, which Taipei rejects.

The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in 2021 to enhance maritime cooperation between their coast guards, but joint training exercises are infrequently publicized. Recently, the US embassy in Taiwan posted a photo of a US coast guard ship alongside a Taiwanese coast guard vessel, sparking Chinese concerns. Since June, Chinese ships have been patrolling an area near Taiwan's east coast for the first time, which Taiwan deemed as "provocative" and a display of expansionism.

The US Coast Guard training, scheduled from August 10-21, will concentrate on small-craft operations, team coordination, and maritime patrols. Taiwan's coast guard aims to improve its maritime law enforcement capabilities in complex maritime operational environments through this training. The specific details of the training were not disclosed by Taiwan's coast guard.

China has escalated its military and coast guard activities near Taiwan in recent years, frequently deploying fighter jets, warships, and other vessels around the island almost daily.