The US yesterday confirmed that it will post military officers to its mission in Taipei for the first time since 1979, when the US switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokeswoman Dana Shell Smith confirmed the Jane's Defence Weekly report that Washington will start posting active-duty military officers to the AIT.
In a news release, Dana said the AIT has been hiring retired US military officers as contractors to coordinate defense assistance to Taiwan.
"Non-uniformed, active-duty military and Department of Defense civilian personnel will now replace these contractors. They are being detailed to AIT as part of the normal rotation of personnel," she said.
"This is a personnel matter ... Our policy towards Taiwan has not changed," she said.
China voiced strong opposition yesterday to the development, saying the move violated Sino-US agreements.
Foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (
"Whatever excuse or method the US side uses to develop military relations with Taiwan violates the principles of the three Sino-US joint communiques, will encourage Taiwan separatist activities and harm peace and stability in the Taiwan region as well as China-US relations," Liu said.
Jane's Defence Weekly reported on Sunday that the Pentagon would gradually send active-duty military personnel to replace civilian contractors at the AIT, starting with the deployment of a US army officer to head a Technical Liaison Section mid-next year.
The Pentagon had considered stationing an active-duty officer in Taipei in 2000, but put off the plan because of concerns about Beijing's protests, the weekly said, quoting an unidentified source.
Meanwhile, a US expert with close ties to the Pentagon said on Monday that the US will not be the first country with no diplomatic ties with Taiwan to have stationed an active-duty officer in Taipei.
The expert, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, for example, France has long posted an active-duty officer in Taiwan.
To the best of his knowledge, he said, a French military officer was promoted to the rank of major-general after concluding his stint in Taiwan.
The expert said US law must be revised before the Pentagon sends active-duty military staff to Taiwan.
Under the law, active-duty military personnel must first apply for duty suspension before going to Taiwan and their service stint in Taiwan cannot be counted into their seniority when they return to continue their service in the military. As the suspension of seniority can affect promotions, few US military officers would be interested in serving in Taiwan.
The Pentagon will discuss possible revisions with Congress with reference to French provisions, the expert said.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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