TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan and the United States signed their first agreement under the Biden government, establishing a coast guard working group to coordinate policy, after China passed a law allowing its coast guard to fire at foreign ships.
US President Joe Biden’s new administration has moved to reassure China-claimed Taiwan that its commitment to the island is rock solid.
Taiwan’s ambassador to the United States, Hsiao Bi-khim, signed the agreement in Washington on Thursday, her office said in a statement.
“We hope that with the new Coast Guard Working Group, both parties will forge a stronger partnership and jointly contribute even more to a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”
Acting United States Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Sung Kim, was at the signing ceremony, the office said.
The American Institute in Taiwan, which handles US ties to the island, said the United States supported “Taiwan’s meaningful participation and contributions to issues of global importance, including maritime security and safety.”
Taiwan is upgrading its coast guard with new ships, which can be called up for maritime service in the event of war, as the island faces increasing encroachments from Chinese fishing boats and sand dredgers in Taiwan-controlled waters.
While the United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is the island’s main international financier and arms supplier.
China passed a law in January that explicitly allows its coast guard to fire at foreign ships for the first time, which is a cause for concern both regionally and in Washington. China has dismissed those concerns.
Taiwanese Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang said on Friday that China’s new law had shaken the region and that those with “common values” should work together to protect peace.
“This unilateral request for the Coast Guard to use force will create great tension and pressure on neighboring countries,” he told reporters.
China also has maritime sovereignty disputes with Japan in the East China Sea and with several Southeast Asian countries in the South China Sea.
Reporting by Ben Blanchard