Taiwan, US coast guards meet despite Chinese pressure

Officers from the U.S. and Taiwanese coast guards have met to discuss improving cooperation and communication despite efforts by China to isolate the self-governing island democracy.
The virtual meeting held Tuesday came amid moves by the U.S. and others to defy Beijing’s pressure campaign aimed at compelling Taiwan to accept its view that the island is part of China.
While the U.S. maintains only unofficial relations with Taiwan in deference to Beijing, it is the island’s key arms supplier and closest political ally.
The American Institute in Taiwan said in a statement that at Tuesday’s meeting, the sides “discussed ways to improve joint maritime responses to search and rescue, disaster relief, and environmental missions, as well as opportunities to improve communication and continue personnel educational exchanges.”
“They also continued work on the common objectives of preserving maritime resources; reducing illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing; and participating in joint maritime search and rescue and maritime environmental response events,” the statement said.
“The United States supports Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contribution to issues of global concern,” it said.
The meeting follows the announcement of plans by the U.S. to sell 40 self-propelled howitzers to Taiwan in a deal valued at $750 million that drew strong condemnation from Beijing.
Amid deteriorating ties with China, the former administration of Donald Trump boosted relations with Taiwan, a stance thus far maintained by President Joe Biden.
China had no immediate response to the meeting of the two coast guards, but last week denounced the howitzer sale as having “severely interfered in China’s internal affairs, sent wrong signals to ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist forces and endangered the stability across the Taiwan Strait.”
“The Chinese (People’s Liberation Army) will take all necessary measures to firmly safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity and make continuous efforts to advance national reunification process,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said in an Aug. 6 statement.
Along with the sharp downturn in relations with Washington, China’s increasingly assertive foreign policies have put it at odds with a number of Western democracies, particularly Canada and Australia.
China yesterday dismissed Canada’s protests of harsh sentences recently handed down by Chinese courts to Canadians whose cases are seen as linked to the arrest in Vancouver of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei. MDT/AP