President Chen Shui-bian presided over the 2006 Chenhai exercises at Pier 14 in Kaohsiung and inspected the coast guard force.
Before participating in the ceremony, Chen inspected the ground support force and and vessels of the coast guard. After giving his address, the president conferred a special banquet upon the soldiers. He also looked at the equipment and the anti-smuggle results on display.
Excerpts of the president's address are as follows:
A-Bian is delighted to be present here at Kaohsiung Port again to personally preside over the 2006 Chenhai Exercises of demonstrating the anti-smuggle capacity and troop rallying. Taiwan is surrounded on all sides by the sea and is an island nation located in a crucial vantage point in the Pacific Ocean. To the west is the Taiwan Strait, to the east is the Pacific, to the north is the East China Sea and to the south is the Bashi Channel. In order to maintain control over naval and aerial traffic in the seas of East Asia, strategic positioning is of utmost importance. Yearround the Kuroshio Current and the Tsushima Current pass through the Pacific. Marine resources are extremely abundant in the area and it is for this reason that we rely mostly on the seas as the most important bulwark.
A-Bian recalls personally visiting the patrol bases at Dongsha Island and Pengjia Islet in summer at the end of July and the beginning of August last year. The weather was fairly mild, but reporters on the patrol recalled that the trip was exhausting and tough work. It is easy to imagine what kind of difficulty our brothers on patrol experience at the year's end with the northeasters blowing combined with the occasional cold front. A-Bian would like to offer my utmost respect and appreciation to the brothers on patrol. I guarantee that the government will do its best to offer them needed backup, to provide equipment as quickly as possible, and to strengthen coastal security and law enforcement, thus proactively making improvement to traffic, rescue support and equipment for daily living as part of the policy of "Protecting the ocean, benefiting from it and embracing it."
In recent years, the Chinese navy has become stronger with its rising economic power. The next step is for expansion to occur, with China breaking through the first ring of islands. Last May, in only 20 days, China infiltrated the seas around Dongsha Islet on two occasions and did not depart from the area until encountered with a Taiwan naval vessel. At the same time, the situation was getting worse and worse. Due to strained resources, China had made incursions into the Taiwan's southern and eastern seas to explore seabed resources and exploit them. The tension it caused was not only regional, but also a major threat our national security and sovereignty. We had to face the situation with the highest level of care.
Smuggling, human trafficking and interaction of criminal gangs are matters that have caused great impact on our nation in terms of national security, economic stability and disease prevention. We must be particularly vigilant during the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid Autumn Festival and Lunar New Year when there are increased flows of goods. Some might carry out smuggling activities in a planned, organized fashion. The coast guard holds the Chenhai exercises, which are designed to prevent smuggling of weaponry, banned chemicals, and other contrabands, including human trafficking. The danger of avian flu virus spreading continues in China and parts of Europe and Asia. In this context, we are pushing forward with a "clear skies" plan to rally the troops to combat crime.