The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the United States’ de facto embassy, posted a picture on its Facebook page yesterday showing U.S. and Taiwan coast guard vessels operating side-by-side.
AIT said it was “coordinating on shared maritime objectives” including disaster relief and the interdiction of illegal drug shipping. “The United States appreciates Taiwan’s partnership in maritime security and safety, and supports Taiwan’s meaningful contributions on global issues including maritime law enforcement exchange and international cooperation,” the post said.
The de facto embassy’s unusual decision to publicize an apparent joint exercise comes as China escalates its campaign of maritime gray zone pressure. In June, China’s coast guard began hailing international civilian vessels in the waters east of Taiwan, a move that analysts called a significant expansion of its activities.
“We believe this announcement is of great significance,” Taiwan’s Minister of Ocean Affairs Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) wrote in a Facebook post. “It is a new measure by the United States to demonstrate its determination to maintain security and peace in the Western Pacific.”
She added: “This announcement fully demonstrates that the United States truly understands that the Taiwan Coast Guard is the only law enforcement agency in Taiwan’s waters, and that the only partner for the U.S. Coast Guard’s law enforcement cooperation in Taiwan’s waters is the Taiwan Coast Guard.”
In a post on his LinkedIn page, AIT Director Raymond Greene said: “Great to see the progress that has been achieved in the U.S.-Taiwan Coast Guard relationship since we signed our first cooperative agreement in 2021 during my previous tour in Taipei.
He added: “Whether it is countering drug trafficking and illegal fishing, ensuring maritime safety, or training Taiwanese cadets at the U.S. Coast Guard academy, this partnership is producing real results for the United States, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific region.”
The American vessel shown in the undated picture posted by AIT is the USCGC Midgett, a cutter whose home port is in Hawaii. It was commissioned in August 2019 and participated in the Rim of the Pacific exercises in 2022 and 2024, according to a fact sheet on the Coast Guard’s website. This year’s iteration of the biennial exercises, which are the largest in the world, concluded on Wednesday.
“USCGC Midgett has played a key role in promoting and maintaining a free, secure, and prosperous Blue Pacific and IndoPacific,” the fact sheet reads. “Throughout the Pacific, Midgett has collaborated with the Singapore Defense Force, Indian Coast Guard, Maldives Defense Force, and the Philippine Coast Guard, and conducted shiprider operations with Tuvalu, the Royal New Zealand Navy, and Papua New Guinea.”
The Midgett’s appearance near Taiwan comes a month after the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Coast Guard had stationed a separate fleet of six 154-foot fast-response cutters in Singapore and Subic Bay on the Philippine island of Luzon, which faces the South China Sea.
At 418 feet, the Midgett is one of the coast guard’s larger ships, and is equipped for 60 to 90-day patrol cycles.
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