Taiwan vessel transfer to Philippines triggers fisheries and Beijing backlash
Taiwan’s donation of a retired coastguard cutter to the Philippines has prompted concerns over Taiwanese fishing rights and criticism from Beijing, according to the South China Morning Post. Taipei says safeguards prevent the ship being used against Taiwanese boats, while Manila plans to deploy it for rescue, disaster response and environmental protection.
Taiwan’s transfer of a retired coastguard vessel to the Philippines has created tensions over the interests of Taiwanese fishermen and drawn condemnation from Beijing, the South China Morning Post reported. The 61-metre cutter was handed to the Philippine Coast Guard through the We Protect Our Seas Foundation, a Philippine non-profit organisation. The vessel, renamed Training Ship WPS, is intended for search and rescue, humanitarian assistance, disaster response and marine environmental protection in Mindanao.
The Philippine organisation did not initially disclose the ship’s origin. A Philippine source later confirmed to Taiwan’s Central News Agency that it was the decommissioned Taiwanese patrol ship Kinmen. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office criticised the transfer, accusing Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party of neglecting Taiwanese fishermen while pursuing maritime cooperation with the Philippines.
Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council defended the donation, saying the agreement explicitly barred the vessel from being used for law enforcement against Taiwanese fishing boats. Taiwanese opposition lawmakers remained concerned because of a history of fisheries disputes. In 2013, Philippine personnel aboard a coastguard vessel shot at the Taiwanese fishing boat Guang Da Xing No.
28, killing one fisherman. The dispute led to sanctions and increased patrols before a 2015 agreement aimed at avoiding violence or unnecessary force. Taipei also protested after the Taiwanese boat Sheng Yu Feng was boarded and taken to port last year.
The vessel and crew were released without penalties. Taiwan’s Kuomintang said the new transfer could expose fishermen to further risk, while DPP lawmakers presented closer coastguard ties as strategically important amid pressure from Beijing. The transfer is unusual because Taiwan’s previous vessel recipients maintained diplomatic relations with Taipei.
The Philippines recognises Beijing and has no formal relations with Taiwan, making the use of an intermediary organisation politically expedient, according to a researcher cited by the newspaper.
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