TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — DPP Spokespersons Justin Wu (吳崢) and Han Ying (韓瑩) on Tuesday urged the KMT and TPP not to block a bill to boost the Coast Guard’s ability to counter China’s growing use of gray-zone tactics.
Han said that around President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) May 20 inauguration anniversary, there were four incidents involving Chinese nationals illegally entering Taiwan, testing the country’s border response, per CNA. She said infiltration attempts have included the use of flag-of-convenience vessels, rubber dinghies, swimming, and polystyrene flotation devices, raising national security concerns.
Han said some intruders have filmed videos and uploaded them to Douyin to destabilize Taiwan through psychological and cognitive warfare. She stressed the urgent need for upgraded radar and surveillance systems to prevent further illegal entries.
She said Chinese coast guard vessels have frequently intruded into restricted waters around Taiwan, Dongsha, and Kinmen, often turning off their Automatic Identification System to avoid detection. Meanwhile, Chinese ships flying foreign flags have repeatedly damaged Taiwan’s undersea communication cables.
Han said China’s gray-zone tactics are multifaceted and intend to probe Taiwan’s maritime defenses. If Taiwan lacks support for homeland security resilience and defense funding, it will struggle to effectively meet future challenges, she warned.
Wu said the international community is closely watching whether Taiwan’s defense receives sufficient backing. While the KMT and TPP have voiced support for defense spending, he said they have yet to back the NT$150 billion (US$5.01 billion) portion of the Cabinet's proposed NT$410 billion special budget that would enhance homeland security and upgrade Coast Guard capabilities.
He explained the funds would support military infrastructure, storage facilities, and the deployment of thermal imaging systems and drones along Taiwan’s coastline. We called on the opposition parties to clarify their positions on this part of the budget.
Wu also cited Ocean Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), who told lawmakers that without thermal imaging equipment, radar alone cannot reliably detect illegal entries due to signal interference. He added the Coast Guard is stretched thin by its responsibilities, which include countering drug and smuggling operations, monitoring Chinese research and coast guard vessels, and protecting local fishers.
The Coast Guard has completed a full survey of Taiwan’s 1,800-kilometer coastline and identified sites for installing radar and infrared equipment. Wu said the preliminary groundwork is complete, but the legislature has yet to approve the necessary funding.
He added that Taiwan received a JUMP 20 vertical takeoff and landing drone from the US in 2023, which was recently deployed. However, aside from this system, the Coast Guard has only about 20 small drones to patrol the entire coastline, an insufficient capacity, Wu said.
