The Taiwanese military is prepared for possible maneuvers by the China’s aircraft carrier group in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.
The group — composed of the Liaoning aircraft carrier and five escort vessels — is conducting exercises in the South China Sea, and might sail along the Taiwan Strait’s median line on its return to its home base in the northeastern Chinese port city of Qingdao.
The ministry has an uninterrupted communication channel with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in case the carrier group engages in maneuvers during the president’s nine-day visit to the nation’s Central American allies, which is to begin on Saturday, ministry spokesman Major General Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) said.
Photo: Reuters
The armed forces have conducted drills during Han Kuang military exercises to simulate possible aircraft carrier maneuvers in the Strait, he added.
“We have [missiles] ready, but we cannot reveal the details,” Chen said in response to media reports that hundreds of missiles have been deployed on the west coast to prepare for the carrier’s passage.
Taiwan will seek alliances with other nations, military or otherwise, to ensure regional security and economic stability, Chen said about reports of a cooperation agreement between Taiwan, the US and Japan, which would allow the nations’ military aircraft to be identified as “friendly” on one another’s radar systems.
The armed forces would respond to Chinese military action in accordance with the ministry’s defense response procedures, should carrier-borne aircraft, such as Shenyang J-15 fighter aircraft, intrude into Taiwan’s airspace, Chen said.
The ministry has experience in monitoring the carrier’s activities and initiating appropriate responses, as the Liaoning cruised through the Taiwan Strait to conduct cross-sea training in 2014, Joint Intelligence Center Director Major General Wang Shao-hua (王紹華) said.
“[The military] has the ability to detect all activities of the carrier group,” Wang said.
The group sailed through waters east of Taiwan late last month — the first time it crossed the first island chain — and should the Liaoning cruise along the median line of the Taiwan Strait on its return voyage, it would be the first time that it had done so with aircraft onboard.
“The combat capabilities of the Liaoning are developing and further observations are needed to determine if it can function on par with its US counterparts,” Wang said.
CRITICAL MOVE: TSMC’s plan to invest another US$100 billion in US chipmaking would boost Taiwan’s competitive edge in the global market, the premier said The government would ensure that the most advanced chipmaking technology stays in Taiwan while assisting Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in investing overseas, the Presidential Office said yesterday. The statement follows a joint announcement by the world’s largest contract chipmaker and US President Donald Trump on Monday that TSMC would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next four years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US, which would include construction of three new chip fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities, and a research and development center. The government knew about the deal in advance and would assist, Presidential
‘DANGEROUS GAME’: Legislative Yuan budget cuts have already become a point of discussion for Democrats and Republicans in Washington, Elbridge Colby said Taiwan’s fall to China “would be a disaster for American interests” and Taipei must raise defense spending to deter Beijing, US President Donald Trump’s pick to lead Pentagon policy, Elbridge Colby, said on Tuesday during his US Senate confirmation hearing. The nominee for US undersecretary of defense for policy told the Armed Services Committee that Washington needs to motivate Taiwan to avoid a conflict with China and that he is “profoundly disturbed” about its perceived reluctance to raise defense spending closer to 10 percent of GDP. Colby, a China hawk who also served in the Pentagon in Trump’s first team,
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
RSS