Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said
A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said
Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a
SHINING LIGHT: Taiwan has set a standard for people who aspire to develop a mature democracy, and to improve human rights and public health, Thomas Daschle said
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called on the US Congress to support a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific region during a meeting with a delegation of US academics. Lai welcomed the delegation led by former US Senate majority leader Thomas Daschle, chairman of Washington-based think tank the Center for American Progress, at the Presidential Office in Taipei. Lai thanked members of the delegation for their longstanding support for Taiwan, citing former US representative David Price’s work in the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus as an example. Taiwan, occupying a core position within the first island chain and being on the front line of China’s
‘CONFUSING’: A senior security official said Beijing is sending out mixed messages by harassing Taiwan while asking for its help in rescue missions
Coast Guard Administration (CGA) personnel yesterday drove off four China Coast Guard patrol vessels that had entered restricted and prohibited waters off Kinmen County in the second such incident in less than 24 hours. China has stepped up its military activities near Taiwan in the past few years, with almost daily incursions into its air defense identification zone. CGA patrol vessels shadowed the Chinese ships, after they were detected at 8:54am, and broadcast warnings until they left the restricted waters at 10:06am, the administration said in a statement. “You have entered our country’s restricted waters. Please turn around immediately,” a Taiwanese official told
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said
Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed
Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
PUSHING BACK: The US is working ‘very carefully and closely’ with Taiwan’s three allies in the Pacific ‘to close off any opportunities that China could exploit,’ an official said
The US has warned Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific to be “cautious and careful” in dealing with China, US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink told US senators on Thursday, adding that Washington is working closely with them to maintain stability and prosperity in the region, despite Beijing’s influence. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on “US Strategy in the Pacific Islands Region” on to discuss effective solutions to “push back” against Beijing’s influence, said US Senator Jim Risch, a ranking member of the committee. China is seeking “to erode longstanding
Hosting foreign military advisers is within the scope of regular exchanges, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday after a US defense media outlet said that US Army Special Forces are to be deployed for training missions in Kinmen and Penghu counties. Speaking on the sidelines of a legislative session, Chiu told reporters that the armed forces conduct exchanges with foreign militaries to find “blindspots and flaws” in Taiwan’s defense preparations and design, and “to learn from the strengths of others.” As for the report’s claim that Taiwan’s Aviation and Special Forces Command has proposed buying the Black Hornet Nano,
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all
TOUGH WORK: Social workers have difficult jobs that require long hours, but they also often take the blame when incidents happen, president-elect William Lai said
The Judicial Reform Foundation and women and child welfare groups have criticized the Taipei City Police Department for leading a female social worker in handcuffs past media when she was brought in for questioning about the death of an infant that had allegedly been abused by a caregiver. Police officials yesterday said that officers at the Wenshan Second Precinct had mishandled the situation on Tuesday, and had infringed on the rights of the social worker, surnamed Chen (陳). Chen is a staff member at the Child Welfare League Foundation, which had temporarily placed the one-year-old boy in the home of a contracted
EVOLVING: The navy is reportedly planning a third mobile Hai Feng land-based anti-ship missile squadron and the introduction of new weapons, such as extended-range missiles
The navy is next week to conduct a series of service-wide evaluations on tactics and gunnery before concluding the annual Ching Shih training exercises (精實訓練操演), sources said. The evaluations would feature live-fire exercises with 76mm and 5-inch naval guns and simulated engagements and sorties against the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), they said. All six of the navy’s surface warship fleets and one submarine fleet are to take part in the Ching Shih exercises, while live-fire torpedo and missile drills would be conducted later this year, the source said. The navy over the past few weeks has been conducting mock battles involving
MANY PLANS PROPOSED: The Taipei Department of Social Welfare said it would offer stress relief courses for childcare providers after a one-year-old allegedly died from abuse
Responding to a report on Monday that a one-year-old boy had allegedly been abused to death by a licensed in-home childcare provider, the Taipei Department of Social Welfare yesterday said that it is planning reforms, while the Ministry of Health and Welfare said it would hold a review meeting on Friday. The boy, whose household registration is in New Taipei City, was placed with an in-home childcare provider in Taipei after his single mother was imprisoned and his grandmother asked the local social welfare department to put him up for adoption. The department referred the case to the Child Welfare League Foundation
A Taiwanese man has sought help from local media to return home, saying he has been stuck in South Korea for more than two months after he received a travel ban for allegedly taking photos of a South Korean woman without her consent. He accused Taiwanese officials of not providing legal assistance. The man, 24, who preferred to be known as “Yoyo” (柚柚), wrote a letter to Taiwanese media and said that he booked a self-help trip to South Korea, arriving on Dec. 21 last year. He later went to Seoul’s Hongdae commercial district and took random street scene photographs, he
CHINESE THREAT: To deter Beijing from using military force against Taiwan, the US must facilitate the sales and delivery of weapons to Taiwan, Mario Diaz-Balart said
Describing China as the “largest fascist dictatorship” in the world, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart urged his country to expedite arms deliveries to bolster Taiwan’s self-defense, Voice of America (VOA) reported on Sunday. In an interview with VOA on Wednesday last week, the cochair of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus warned against “the largest ... and the wealthiest fascist dictatorship on the planet.” Faced with an “adversary” such as China, the US should utilize “every diplomatic economic tool in our disposal to treat China … in a very aggressive way in order to avoid war,” he said. He called on the US and
In the mainstream view, the Philippines should be worried that a conflict over Taiwan between the superpowers will drag in Manila. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr observed in an interview in The Wall Street Journal last year, “I learned an African saying: When elephants fight, the only one that loses is the grass. We are the grass in this situation. We don’t want to get trampled.” Such sentiments are widespread. Few seem to have imagined the opposite: that a gray zone incursion of People’s Republic of China (PRC) ships into the Philippines’ waters could trigger a conflict that drags in Taiwan. Fewer
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on Wednesday that would give TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance about six months to divest the U.S. assets of the short-video app used by about 170 million Americans or face a ban. The bill passed 352-65, with bipartisan support, but it faces a more uncertain path in the Senate where some favor a different approach to regulating foreign-owned apps that could pose security concerns. Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not indicated how he plans to proceed. TikTok’s fate has become a major issue in Washington. Democratic and Republican lawmakers said their offices
The White House’s 2025 fiscal budget proposal, released on Monday, includes a US$100 million request to assist Taiwan in enhancing deterrence capabilities, and maintaining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The funding would help the US Department of State and the US Agency for International Development bolster and expand Taiwan’s collaboration with international partners, the department said in a statement. It described the US$100 million request as a “historic investment in Taiwan’s security” through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) mechanism “to strengthen deterrence and maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.” The request comes after US President Joe Biden signed off