China has been steadily stepping up fighter plane patrols in the Taiwan Strait, according to the Ministry of National Defense?? (MND) annual national defense report released yesterday.
The report said that while Chinese fighters patrolling the Strait made about 400 sorties per year before 1998, there were 1,500 sorties in 2001 and 1,700 in 2005.
The figures have averaged between 1,300 and 1,700 since 2005, indicating a more aggressive posture, the report said.
TERRITORIAL WATERS
In addition, Chinese research vessels have intruded into Taiwan?? waters more than 20 times in the past three years, it said.
The research vessels are believed to be mapping the undersea geography of Taiwan?? and Japan?? territorial waters for use by China?? submarine force, the report said.
The latest figures show that China has around 1,300 ballistic and cruise missiles targeted at Taiwan, and is adding 75 to 100 missiles per year.
The report said China?? ballistic missiles posed the biggest threat to national security.
China has about 700 fighter jets of various types, with its most advanced Su-series fighter jets deployed in bases in southeast China, the report said.
It added that these jets would form the main force should there be a conflict between China and Taiwan.
MISSILES
The report said China procured S-300 series air defense missiles from Russia, and had proposed procuring more advanced air-defense missile systems from Russia.
The deployments of Russian Kilo-class submarines and Sovremenny-class destroyers pose a serious threat to stability in the strait, the report said.
The report added that China?? military strategy toward Taiwan was ??o use force to deter Taiwanese independence.??
This would be done by launching blockades of Taiwan?? outlying islands and sea lanes or launching a full-scale missile attack against Taiwan.
US AID
Beijing is focusing on developing long-range missiles ??o strike at US bases and battle carrier groups stationed in the Asia-Pacific ... so as to block the US from coming to the rescue of Taiwan should war break out in the Taiwan Strait,??the report said.
??lthough the Chinese communists have claimed they would like to solve the Taiwan issue in a peaceful manner, they have asked their forces to step up preparation for military struggle against Taiwan,??it said.
China believes that ??f it employs military actions against Taiwan, foreign intervention would be its greatest concern, with the United States being the most significant foreign power,??the report said.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
FATALITIES: The storm claimed at least two lives — a female passenger in a truck that was struck by a falling tree and a man who was hit by a utility pole Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris yesterday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the nation in decades claimed at least two lives. Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184kph when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, uprooting trees, triggering floods and landslides, and knocking out power as it swept across the nation. A 56-year-old female foreign national died from her injuries after the small truck she was in was struck by a falling tree on Provincial Highway 14A early on Thursday. The second death was reported at 8pm in Taipei on Thursday after a 48-year-old man