Lai Ching-de "Close cooperation between the military and the coast guard in response to the rapidly changing maritime situation."

Lai Ching-de "Close cooperation between the military and the coast guard in response to the rapidly changing maritime situation."

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Sook-hee = As the Chinese government is expanding maritime activities around the Taiwan Strait, Taiwan is deploying a senior naval commander to the coast guard to strengthen cooperation between the navy and the coast guard.

According to Reuters on the 1st, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-de announced at the military promotion ceremony held at the Presidential Office that day that Yuan Sheng-hua, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Command, will be promoted to Vice Admiral and then moved to the position of Deputy Chief of the Coast Guard Department of the Maritime Commission.

As part of Taiwan's military modernization plan, it has been strengthening its coast guard force, which will serve as a "second navy" in wartime.

President Lai said that Yuan Seong-hwa is expected to strengthen cooperation between the military and the coast guard by taking advantage of past experiences.

President Lai continued, “The military and coast guard must cooperate more closely to respond to the rapidly changing maritime situation,” and emphasized, “Both sides must share maritime information and ensure stable command and communication operations under any circumstances.”

Guan Feiling, a member of Taiwan's Maritime Affairs Commission (the equivalent of Minister of the Maritime Affairs), said in a statement on this day that the naval-style tactical thinking accumulated from Yuan Sheng-hua's combat training experience will be applied to the coast guard and will serve as a new driving force in the 'transition from peacetime to wartime' that may occur in the future.

Previously, the Taiwan Coast Guard's Anping-class patrol boat demonstrated its fully armed capability to launch anti-ship missiles during maritime exercises last month.

Last August, at the Hankwang exercise, which Taiwan conducts every year in preparation for a Chinese invasion, response training was conducted under the assumption that the coast guard would escort a merchant ship together with the navy.

China, which claims Taiwan as its own territory, carries out military activities around Taiwan almost every day.

The Chinese Coast Guard announced that it had conducted patrol activities in eastern Taiwan waters this week, explaining that it was to strengthen law enforcement in the waters under its jurisdiction.