The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday accused China of trying to influence Saturday's election and referendum by staging a large joint exercise off Qingdao with Chinese and French warships.
"China launched the massive military drill with France just four days before Taiwan's 11th presidential election and first-ever national referendum, intending to intimidate our country and influence election and referendum results," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said Beijing's attempt at influencing the election was "absolutely unacceptable."
The joint exercise marked the largest naval drill China has ever conducted with a foreign country, according to Chinese state media and officials.
The foreign ministry said it also deeply regretted France's decision to take part in the naval exercise when Taiwan's presidential election and referendum are so close.
The ministry said this followed recent French remarks and actions against Taiwan, including President Jacques Chirac's public opposition to the referendum in January and France's proposal that the EU lift its ban on weapons sales to China.
"The present timing is sensitive because of the presidential election and referendum. France did not consider the sensitive timing, instead deciding to carry out the largest and most complicated naval drill it has ever had with China," the ministry statement said.
Remarking that the government could not understand why France was taking an anti-Taiwan stance, the ministry said it expressed its "serious concerns and dissatisfaction" to the French Institute in Taipei last night.
"We demand the French authorities offer a reasonable explanation of this [the naval drill]," according to the statement.
China's foreign ministry said it "disagreed with" the accusations that the naval drill with France was in any way related to Taiwan's election.
"In recent years, the development of relations between the two countries [China and France] and the two militaries has been growing smoothly," China's foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said yesterday.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS