Countering China’s Maritime Intrusion Deputy Secretary of the National Security Council: Building Maritime Resilience

Li Wen, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, attended the "IOC 2026 International Conference on Sealine Security" and delivered a speech. (Photo by reporter Tian Yuhua)

The Ocean Council held the biannual "2026 Sealine Security International Conference" today. Li Wen, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, attended the speech and mentioned that in the face of China's recent increasing maritime gray zone intrusions, Taiwan will continue to strengthen coastal defense and build "maritime resilience." However, this requires the support and cooperation of surrounding international partners.

The IOC held the "2026 Sealine Security International Conference" today. In addition to inviting industry, official and academic representatives, it also invited Ha Anh Tuan, Dean of the School of International Politics and Diplomacy of the Vietnam Diplomatic Academy, retired Vice Admiral Robert Noble Patrimonio of the Philippine Coast Guard, retired Admiral Takei Tomohisa of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, Ryu Ji-seung, President of the National Strategic Research Institute of South Korea, and Vice Admiral Duncan L Potts of the British Royal Navy. CB, Li Changheng, director of the Korean Continental Institute of Strategic Studies and other foreign experts and scholars attended the meeting, which was a grand occasion.

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Li Wen, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, mentioned in his speech today that in recent years, China has used military or non-military means to conduct various gray zone activities in the areas surrounding the Taiwan Strait and the first island chain under the guise of law enforcement, which have frequently caused controversy.

Li Wen pointed out that during Taiwan’s Han Kuang military exercise in August this year, the Taiwan Navy and the Coast Guard jointly conducted a joint anti-blockade escort drill, simulating escort operations to protect a merchant ship carrying imported supplies; this conveyed Taiwan’s ability to protect key supplies and energy routes, and its determination to defend maritime lifelines.

Li Wen said that regarding maritime resilience, he believes that TENACITY can be presented in English. This single word contains a total of 8 themes. T (Transportation communications) stands for transmission and communications, E (Energy resilience) stands for energy resilience, N (Naval and Coast Guard coordination) stands for Navy and Coast Guard coordination, A (Maritime domain awareness) stands for maritime domain awareness, C (Convoys and escorts) stands for formations and escorts, I (Insurance measures) stands for insurance measures, T (Transshipment plans) stands for transshipment plans, and finally Y is changed to I (International support), which stands for international support.

Li Wen also said that this is a very long abbreviation, but these eight interrelated aspects remind the world that maritime security cannot be achieved by any single department alone. It requires the joint efforts of the government, industry and international partners to build maritime resilience.

Li Wen, deputy secretary-general of the National Security Council, attended the "IOC 2026 International Conference on Sealine Security" and delivered a speech. During the meeting, he took a group photo with the guests present. (Photo by reporter Tian Yuhua)