Admiral Timothy Keating, head of the US Pacific Command, said on Thursday in Washington that while he continued to closely monitor the Chinese military, he believed that tensions in the Taiwan Strait had been reduced over the last two months.
He said that while there had been some changes in China’s military posture toward Taiwan, those changes were not significant.
“We are pleased with the progress being made by China and Taiwan in reducing the tension across the Strait,” Keating said.
He added that, while there had been no great strategic shift, there had been a series of meaningful small developments, including China sending pandas to Taiwan, increased capability to send mail across the Strait and improved transportation links.
The admiral particularly stressed sociological changes where young men and women on both sides “are falling in love with one another and it’s increasingly easy to do so.”
“All of these recommend to us a decrease in tension across the strait and we are gratified by that decrease … That said, we still pay close attention to the Strait, as we do many other regions in our area,” Keating said.
Keating, probably the most important individual in the US military dealing on a daily basis with Taiwan’s security, stressed that the centerpiece of his policy in the region was “partnership, presence and military readiness.”
In a statement that may have been designed to reassure Taiwan, he said: “We want everybody in our area of responsibility to know that we’re committed to security, stability and prosperity. We are going to remain present and engaged throughout the area ... We want to emphasize to our friends and allies that we will be there in the years ahead, as we have been there for decades in the past. We want them to be confident and comfortable in our ability to respond across the entire spectrum of operations.”
When asked by Nadia Tsao of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) about reports that China was building an aircraft carrier, Keating refused to confirm the development outright, but appeared to do so with a wink and a nod.
“If the Chinese choose to pursue aircraft carrier technology, we will monitor very carefully that development ... We would ask that they be increasingly transparent with us so we can understand their intentions,” Keating said.
The admiral said that he had told Chinese military leaders that the development of aircraft carriers could be seen by some as a threat.
“I don’t regard it as a threat today ... We are going to watch very carefully to make sure that it doesn’t become a threat,” he said.
But building a carrier was complex, demanding, dangerous and very expensive, Keating said.
“When I proposed to the Chinese an increased statement of intention, they came back and said: ‘Well, we only want to protect those things that are ours’ — which seems fair enough,” he said. “But so do we, so too do all of the countries who have access to the maritime domain.”
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers