Two US military aircraft reportedly flew close to the nation’s southern airspace yesterday, one day after the Ministry of National Defense confirmed that a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) aircraft carrier battle group sailed east of the country.
A US RC-135W Rivet Joint and a Lockheed P-3 Orion were operating in the South China Sea, according to flight charts posted on Twitter yesterday morning by Aircraft Spots, a military air movement tracker.
Based on the Twitter posts, the two planes flew at different intervals, with the RC-135W reconnaissance plane spotted first over the Bashi Channel, southwest of Taiwan.
Ministry spokesman Major General Shih Shun-wen (史順文) did not directly confirm the aircraft sightings, except to say the military is closely monitoring the nation’s surrounding waters and airspace.
According to charts released by Aircraft Spots and the ministry’s own records, the latest incident was the 10th time US aircraft have operated near the nation’s airspace since March 25.
The ministry on Sunday evening said that a PLAN aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, escorted by two destroyers, two frigates and a supply ship, were monitored as they passed through the Miyako Strait to the northeast of Taiwan on Saturday, headed south.
The flotilla passed to the east of Taiwan on Sunday as it moved southward on a long-range training mission, the ministry said, adding that no unusual activities were detected.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a senior analyst at the Taipei-based Institute of National Defense and Security Research, on Sunday said that Beijing has expanded its maritime and air presence in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This is probably the main reason US reconnaissance planes have recently been spotted operating near the Bashi Channel, to monitor the movements of the People’s Liberation Army in the area,” Su said.
Presidential Office spokesman Ting Yun-kung (丁允恭) on Sunday said the public has no need to worry about the nation’s safety and security.
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
MEET AND GREET: The White House, which called the interaction ‘just a handshake,’ did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Biden planned to visit Taiwan’s envoy to the APEC summit, Lin Hsin-i (林信義), on Friday invited US President Joe Biden to visit Taiwan. During the APEC Leaders’ Informal Dialogue, Lin, who represented President William Lai (賴清德) at the summit, spoke with Biden and expressed gratitude to the outgoing US president for his contribution to improving bilateral ties between Taipei and Washington over the past four years, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin and Biden exchanged views during the conversation, with Lin extending an invitation to Biden to visit Taiwan, it said. Biden is to step down in January next year, when US president-elect Donald Trump is
RSS