Minister of National Defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) yesterday responded to speculation that China would announce plans to remove half of the missiles it has aimed at Taiwan on May 20, the inauguration of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), saying only that removing and destroying ballistic missiles were two different issues.
Most of China’s missiles are mobile, which means that even if they were removed from Fujian Province to Sichuan Province, they could be redeployed just as quickly, Tsai said.
If China really wants to offer a gesture of good will, simply repositioning the missiles would fall short, Tsai said.
Tsai said that in addition to the 1,400 short range missiles aimed at Taiwan, China also had long range ground to ground missiles with a range of 1,000km to 2,000km, and some missiles with a range up to 8,000km.
Military officials have said that each of China’s missile units has more than one launch position. These positions are connected by road networks, allowing for quick repositioning.
Officials have also said that it is very difficult to differentiate between live launch sites and dummy sites.
The missiles are transported on wheeled mobile launch vehicles, which means that they can be moved quickly by road. This means that missile units that are out of firing range from Taiwan can be moved within range in a matter of half a day, officials said.
Even if China were to remove half of its missiles, officials said, there would still be up to 700 missiles aimed at Taiwan.
Monitoring the movement of missile units could help predict an attack by China, officials said.
Ma has said he will maintain the “status quo” in cross-strait relations, but would like to negotiate with Beijing on “normalizing economic ties, signing a peace treaty and increasing Taiwan’s presence in the international community.”
Ma also said after winning the election that he would ask China to dismantle the ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan as a condition to entering into cross-strait peace negotiations.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
RSS