China has said it would stage military exercises in the East China Sea near Taiwan this week.
This would be the third set of drills in a month and comes after the recent US approvals of arms sales worth billions to Taiwan, including F-16 jets.
Ships would be prohibited from entering the waters off the coast of China’s Zhejiang Province for 48 hours starting from 6pm yesterday because of the military exercises, the Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration said in a brief notice on Monday.
Photo: Chen Cheng-liang, Taipei Times
The administration did not offer details on the scale of the exercises or which military units were involved.
State-backed newspaper Global Times called it a “live-fire drill.”
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army late last month held two large military drills close to the Taiwan Strait.
“The idea is to better prepare for conflict, but also deter ... Taiwan [from] going down the path of independence or, failing that, a US intervention if conflict breaks out between China and Taiwan,” said Adam Ni (倪凌超), China researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney.
The series of drills follows a defense white paper published last month, in which the Chinese military warned about a growing challenge from pro-independence forces in Taiwan.
Ties between Beijing and Taipei have plummeted since President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) took office in 2016, because her party refuses to recognize the idea that Taiwan is part of “one China.”
In response, Beijing has cut official communications, ramped up military exercises, poached diplomatic allies and increased economic pressure on the nation.
China sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting unification, by force if necessary.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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
RSS