US coastguard sails into troubled waters with mission to counter China in Pacific

The United States is leaning on its coastguard to reinforce its presence in the western Pacific as its navy comes under increasing strain in the Middle East.Although this move may be seen as a lower-risk way of countering Beijing’s growing presence in the region, increasing US cooperation with the Taiwanese coastguard risks further mainland Chinese pressure on the island.Recently, the US announced that six fast-response cutters that had been based in the Middle East for more than 20 years would be sent to the Philippines and Singapore this month.