Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) will join Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and 13 legislators on a warship headed to disputed waters northeast of Taiwan today, to demonstrate the government's determination to protect Taiwanese fishermen.
"Because Legislative Speaker Wang decided to board the warship, minister Lee will accompany him and the other lawmakers," Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman Rear Admiral Liou Chih-chien (劉志堅) said yesterday.
Liu said Lee and the others will board a 3,500-tonne Knox-class frigate equipped with advanced Standard-I missiles.
According to Chinese-language newspapers, to avoid disputes with Japan, the warship will not sail to waters close to the Diaoyutais, which are claimed by both Taiwan and Japan. The newspapers said the navy's mission is to protect Taiwan's fishermen, and would not involve any move to stake a claim to sovereignty over the islands.
According to a schedule released by the MND, the warship will depart from Suao naval base at 9am, travel 110km off the coast of Taiwan by 12:45pm, and return to Suao at 5pm. Other warships and boats will be monitoring the situation.
The ministry will allow some reporters to board the warship, along with the legislators.
Newspapers said that to prepare for any possible incident, F-16 fighters equipped with AIM-120 and Harpoon missiles will be on alert today.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it would send the 1,800-tonne Mou Hsing and two 1,000-tonne boats to support the warship. The CGA also ordered all boats scheduled to patrol waters northwest of Taiwan today to move to positions 45km or more off the coast.
"If any incidents occur, the boats will be able to reach the spot within an hour," the CGA said in a press statement.
The ministry initially said that it had no intention of getting involved in recent fishing disputes with Japan, after People First Party Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
However, after Wang talked to the Lee last week, Lee agreed that the ministry would allow lawmakers onboard navy vessels sailing to disputed waters with Japan.
Meanwhile, the captain of a Taiwanese fishing boat that was detained by the Japanese coast guard early on Saturday was released on bail Sunday night.
Chen The-liang (
Chen and his four fishermen are be expected to return to Pingtung tomorrow.
According to Japanese news-papers, Chen admitted that he had been fishing in waters beyond Taiwan's exclusive economic zone.
also see stories:
DPP faults Wang for frigate trip
Premier won't join legislators on warship voyage
The navy has installed 13 Phalanx Block 1B close-in weapons systems on its warships, increasing their defensive firepower, a defense official said on Saturday. The systems cost the navy NT$10.16 billion (US$314.67 million), while eight additional Block 1A systems are being upgraded in the US and are expected to be delivered next year, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Phalanx system used by Taiwan to defend its warships and key radar installations is a radar-cued gun system capable of firing 4,500 rounds a minute at targets as far away as 1.5km, the official said. With their superior range of
RACE FOR CHIPS: The Dresden site would help Europe reduce its reliance on Asia for semiconductors, while Germany aims to produce one-fifth of the world’s chips by 2030 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday broke ground in Dresden, Germany, on its first European plant as the continent seeks to safeguard its chip supplies amid growing US-China tensions. TSMC chief executive C.C. Wei (魏哲家) attended the event, together with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the heads of Infineon Technologies AG, NXP Semiconductors NV and Robert Bosch GmbH, which each hold a 10 percent stake in the venture. TSMC owns a 70 percent stake in the plant. “Together with our partners, Bosch, Infineon and NXP, we are building our Dresden facility to meet the
‘CLOSE TIES’: Former Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda also attended the annual Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific security and spoke of Taiwan’s importance globally China’s authoritarian expansionism would not stop with Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, calling for solidarity among the world’s democracies to check Beijing’s territorial ambitions. Taiwan is determined to become a decisive force for democracy, peace and prosperity, standing side-by-side with its democratic partners to confront authoritarian expansionism and protect shared values, he told the annual Ketagalan Forum on Indo-Pacific security in Taipei. Authoritarianism is now a global challenge, Lai said, using as examples Chinese military expansionism, economic coercion and the use of hybrid warfare tactics such as cyberattacks and cognitive warfare. “We are all fully aware that China’s growing authoritarianism will
RECOVERY: Overall, average income across all age groups increased, climbing to a record NT$709,000 last year, on the back of an improved economy, the DGBAS said Taiwanese workers under the age of 30 last year, on average, earned an annual income of NT$545,931 (US$17,044), a new high, as the economy continued to improve, data released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed. That equated to monthly earnings of NT$45,494 per person, and marked an increase from NT$535,667 in 2022, the data showed. In addition to an improved economy, average incomes rose as the unemployment rate declined and the minimum wage rose, the statistics agency said. Overall, average income in Taiwan also hit a new record of NT$709,000 last year, up from NT$704,000 in 2022, the data