The nation’s military outpost on the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea is being threatened by the latest deployment of mobile missiles and artillery guns on nearby islands held by China and Vietnam, according to a new report submitted to the Control Yuan.
The Ministry of National Defense report pointed to the increased buildup of troops and weapons by China and Vietnam on their island bases near the military outpost on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島).
Of particular concern are the moves by Vietnam to enhance its troop presence with more sophisticated weapons on Sand Cay — known as Dunqian Sand Island (敦謙沙洲) in Chinese and Son Ca Island to the Vietnamese — which lies just 11km east of Itu Aba Island.
The report said that Vietnam has deployed an unspecified amount of new shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to its expanded marine base on Sand Cay in the past year.
“The effective range of the Vietnamese shoulder-fired missiles is about 1.5km. However, Vietnam may plan to deploy these portable missiles to reef islets closer to Taiping Island or might carry them on patrol boats to within striking range. In such a scenario, our military transport aircraft heading to Taiping Island would be directly threatened,” the report said.
It also provided surveillance information showing that Vietnam has begun work to artificially expand Sand Cay Island and to build military installations.
Meanwhile, China has reclaimed major tracts of land and constructed military installations on five reef and shoal locations claimed by China in the Spratlys since last year.
The Chinese construction operations in the Spratlys are on Cuarteron Reef (Huayang, 華陽), Gaven Reef (Nansyun, 南薰) and Fiery Cross Reef (Yongshu Reef, 永暑礁), which are also claimed by Taiwan, as well as Union Reef North and Union Reef South.
To counter the threats posed by China and Vietnam in the South China Sea, legislators had requested the deployment of a marine force, instead of coast guard units, to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands 東沙群島) and the Spratlys.
Legislators said that the ministry has acted in a contradictory fashion, being outspoken about the increasing number of threats faced by the Itu Aba Island military outpost while continuously dismissing calls to deploy marines and declining requests to have warships permanently stationed on Taiwan’s island outposts.
The report was part of the Control Yuan’s special investigation into the current regional security situation in East Asia.
The report recommended that the government boost its defenses in the South China Sea, given that China, Vietnam and the Philippines have all built up military installations and deployed new weapons on 12 islands and shoals around Itu Aba Island.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to