Mon, Mar 09, 2015 page1

• Chinese military threat real: minister

  SERIOUS: A defense report says that Beijing’s increased funding and modernization of its military, along with regular air and sea drills, show that it could still force unification

  • By Lo Tien-pin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer
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  Beijing has never given up on the potential of uniting Taiwan with China by force and its national defense funding continues to grow yearly, Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-chi (高廣圻) said in a report to be submitted to the Legislative Yuan.

  Reporting on the development of cross-strait affairs, Kao said the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has continued to modernize its military as well as reinforce its combat capability against Taiwan by improving its military command structure, replacing outdated equipment and stepping up training for its armed forces.

  The report came in light of recent cross-strait talks over the M503 flight path — which runs along the middle of the Taiwan Strait, with feeder routes to China labeled W121, W122 and W123 — arbitrarily announced by China in January. Taiwanese officials said that the path could affect security for flights to Kinmen County and Lienchiang County.

  The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force and Navy have also begun air and sea drills in the western Pacific to familiarize its forces with anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies, Kao said.

  All of this is evidence that Beijing has not given up the thought of unification through force, Kao said.

  The Ministry of National Defense is monitoring the Taiwan Strait and the actions of the PLA, Kao said, adding that the ministry would also keep apprised of international territorial affairs.

  Meanwhile, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) said that at last count, the CCP controlled seven known shoals and islands in the Spratly Islands, known in Taiwan as the Nansha Islands (南沙群島).

  The largest of the seven — Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef, 永暑島) — is at least three times larger than Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), the largest naturally occurring islands in the Spratly group after being made five times larger by landfills, Lin said.

  With the island now 2,000m long, it is considered eligible for the construction of an airfield, Lin said.

  Though Vietnam has not used landfill methods to enlarge the Sandy Cay (Duncian Shajou, 敦謙沙洲) and Namyit Island (Hongsiou Island, 鴻庥島), 6 and 12 nautical miles (11km to 22km) from Itu Aba Island respectively, there are signs of the Vietnamese government increasing their artillery deployed on both islands, Lin said.

  However, the Vietnamese military is reclaiming land and expanding Sin Cowe Island (Jinghong Island 景宏島) — 30 nautical miles from Itu Aba Island — which is now roughly the size of 130 basketball courts, Lin said, adding that there was a possibility that Vietnam would begin constructing piers capable of berthing large ships.

  Vietnam is posing a considerable threat to Taiwan’s lone garrison in the South China Sea, Lin said.

  Construction of piers on Itu Aba Island is scheduled to be finished by the end of this year and would offer berthing of frigate-class ships of up to 3,000 tonnes, Lin said.

  With both the CCP and Vietnam stepping up the scale of their military bases in the region, the need to extend the Itu Aba Island airstrip is becoming more urgent, Lin said, calling on the ministry to begin the extension as soon as the piers have been finished.

  Lin also said the ministry should consider moving regular troops onto the island to oversee its defenses. The nation pulled marines from the island and turned over garrison duty to the Coast Guard Administration in 2000.
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