In a move that could strengthen Taiwan’s security, the US is moving two high-altitude “Global Hawk” spy drones to Japan to monitor the Chinese navy.
The unmanned drones — which can reach altitudes of 18km and stay airborne for 32 hours at a time — are to start operating from Misawa Air Base before the end of this month.
Their mission is to watch Chinese navy activities in the East China and South China seas, and through the Taiwan Strait.
They are also to gather intelligence about North Korea.
The transfer of the drones from Guam was first reported last week by online newspaper the Washington Free Beacon and confirmed by the US Air Force (USAF).
A USAF spokesperson said the drones are to be in Japan for four months and would support US “intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance priorities.”
In addition, the spokesperson said the drones would “ensure continued regional stability and security to all nations in the Asia-Pacific [region].”
While the Pentagon remains silent about most military cooperation with Taiwan, Washington is likely to share any relevant intelligence with Taipei.
The Global Hawks are being moved to Japan while China has about 80 ships protecting an oil rig in waters claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam and as tensions with Japan continue to escalate over the Senkakus, known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan.
News of the drone move also came as People’s Liberation Army Chief of General Staff General Fang Fenghui (房峰輝) ended a five-day visit to the US in which he said the US’ shift to the Pacific had “stirred up some of the problems” in the South China and East China seas.
“We do not create trouble, but we are not afraid of trouble,” he said.
“We will respond to threats,” US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey said.
Writing in the Washington Post, senior fellows at the Council on Foreign Relations Elizabeth Economy and Michael Levi said this week that Chinese leaders were motivated in part by a desire to control the South China Sea lanes through which oil imports to Taiwan, China, Japan and South Korea pass.
“China’s latest move, which came as a surprise to Vietnam and other nations, undermines Bejing’s insistence that strong relations within the region are its top foreign policy priority,” Economy and Levi said.
“The US ought to call China’s bluff and make clear the real stakes,” they added.
The two policy analysts said the US and ASEAN should present a unified front in refusing to recognize unilateral assertions of claims in disputed territories.
US President Barack Obama’s rebalancing to Asia is premised on the US’ role as the primary guarantor of stability in the Pacific, Economy and Levi said.
Vietnam has reiterated its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the current dispute, the analysts said. If China does not reciprocate, the US should be prepared to support Vietnam through an increased naval presence, they added.
“This would give Washington the ability to assess Chinese capabilities and to help de-escalate the situation,” Economy and Levi said, adding that “if the US can’t back up its words with actions, its credibility in promising to uphold peace and stability in the region will be gutted.”
‘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
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS