United States Senator Tammy Duckworth met with Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Chairperson Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) this Wednesday. Duckworth said expanding the role of Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is crucial to countering authoritarian expansion and is a peaceful form of defense that does not seek to provoke war.

Duckworth’s closed-door meeting with Kuan included discussions surrounding unmanned vehicle collaboration, Indo-Pacific maritime security, coordinated CGA operations, and defense technology cooperation.

The U.S. senator cited the Philippines as an example, explaining its recent efforts to build a helicopter fleet and expand coast guard personnel to enhance control over surrounding waters. Duckworth said that expanding the role of the CGA is crucial for resisting authoritarian expansion. She clarified that using the coast guard declares to the outside world Taiwan’s firm commitment to protecting its waters, and is a peaceful form of defense that does not seek to provoke war.

Kuan said the CGA is shifting its strategy to address challenges. Faced with continued gray-area coercion from authoritarian states, she said, the international community needs to establish a clear common discourse and defense direction to form a common front to defend the free and open Indo-Pacific waters. 

According to an OAC press release, Duckworth’s delegation to Taiwan arrived this Monday, met with President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) this Tuesday, and attended the International Ocean Forum on Wednesday. 

At the forum, Duckworth spoke with British Member of Parliament Tom Tugendhat. The two politicians claimed that China is using its coast guard enforcement and overseas police outposts as a cover to attempt to establish a “new normal” in the waters east of Taiwan and in the South China Sea. The two say the actions violate current maritime law.

Drawing from lessons learned as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Duckworth urged Taiwan not to rely solely on allies or foreign arms sales, but to accelerate the development of its domestic manufacturing capabilities for drones and unmanned systems to secure its defense resources.