A Chinese fighter jet briefly entered the nation’s airspace at about noon yesterday, the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force said in a news release.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Chengdu J-10 fighter was detected near the southwestern region of Taiwan’s airspace, and was immediately intercepted and escorted away following radio warnings, it said.
It was the seventh time this month that Chinese military aircraft have been spotted flying near Taiwan, following similar incidents on June 9 and 12, as well as once every day from Tuesday to Friday last week, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The Chengdu J-10 might be part of China’s deployment in the South China Sea or part of a contingent of PLA forces conducting combat training, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said.
If the latter is true, it could mean that the PLA is a greater threat than initially assumed, which would place more pressure on the nation’s defenses, he said.
Tsai, who has been a member of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee since 2016, said that if the jet is part of a deployment in the South China Sea, it could explain the large number of aircraft sightings near the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the past few days.
However, whereas Chinese fighters used to take off from bases in southeast China before flying toward Taiwan, this year some of the aircraft took off from bases in central China, which has led to speculation that they might be taking part in combat training, he said.
Such a scenario would be a headache for the ministry, he added.
The ministry would continue to respond to aircraft entering Taiwan’s ADIZ the same way it has done in the past — by dispatching fighter jets to escort them away, he said, adding that failure to do so would put the nation at risk.
Tsai called on the government to increase the ROC Air Force’s budget and invest in facility improvements for aircraft maintenance, as well as to seek purchases of more advanced aircraft from the US.
Separately, the ministry said in a report that military action by the PLA against Taiwan remained a possibility, and could take the form of a blockade, missile attack or landing attempt on the nation’s outlying islands.
The PLA has in the past few years been bolstering its capabilities to act out such scenarios, it said.
The ministry plans to upgrade its Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile defense systems by 2023, it said.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) has told lawmakers at the legislature that the ministry was mulling purchasing Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the US to boost its defense capabilities.
Such a procurement might happen as soon as 2023 if the US agrees to the sale, he said.
Institute of National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said Taiwan was keeping pace with its development and procurement of missile systems, and it retained air and naval superiority over China.
Under the current circumstances, the PLA would be unable to make a landing on Taiwan’s outlying islands, Su said.
INVESTIGATION: The case is the latest instance of a DPP figure being implicated in an espionage network accused of allegedly leaking information to Chinese intelligence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member Ho Jen-chieh (何仁傑) was detained and held incommunicado yesterday on suspicion of spying for China during his tenure as assistant to then-minister of foreign affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮). The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said Ho was implicated during its investigation into alleged spying activities by former Presidential Office consultant Wu Shang-yu (吳尚雨). Prosecutors said there is reason to believe Ho breached the National Security Act (國家安全法) by leaking classified Ministry of Foreign Affairs information to Chinese intelligence. Following interrogation, prosecutors petitioned the Taipei District Court to detain Ho, citing concerns over potential collusion or tampering of evidence. The
NEGOTIATIONS: The US response to the countermeasures and plans Taiwan presented has been positive, including boosting procurement and investment, the president said Taiwan is included in the first group for trade negotiations with the US, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he seeks to shield Taiwanese exporters from a 32 percent tariff. In Washington, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in an interview on Fox News on Thursday that he would speak to his Taiwanese and Israeli counterparts yesterday about tariffs after holding a long discussion with the Vietnamese earlier. US President Donald Trump on Wednesday postponed punishing levies on multiple trade partners, including Taiwan, for three months after trillions of US dollars were wiped off global markets. He has maintained a 10 percent
TRADE: The premier pledged safeguards on ‘Made in Taiwan’ labeling, anti-dumping measures and stricter export controls to strengthen its position in trade talks Products labeled “made in Taiwan” must be genuinely made in Taiwan, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, vowing to enforce strict safeguards against “origin laundering” and initiate anti-dumping investigations to prevent China dumping its products in Taiwan. Cho made the remarks in a discussion session with representatives from industries in Kaohsiung. In response to the US government’s recent announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on its trading partners, President William Lai (賴清德) and Cho last week began a series of consultations with industry leaders nationwide to gather feedback and address concerns. Taiwanese and US officials held a videoconference on Friday evening to discuss the
PERSONAL DATA: The implicated KMT members allegedly compiled their petitions by copying names from party lists without the consent of the people concerned Judicial authorities searched six locations yesterday and questioned six people, including one elderly Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member and five KMT Youth League associates, about alleged signature forgery and fraud relating to their recall efforts against two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. After launching a probe into alleged signature forgery and related fraud in the KMT’s recall effort, prosecutors received a number of complaints, including about one petition that had 1,748 signatures of voters whose family members said they had already passed away, and also voters who said they did not approve the use of their name, Taipei Deputy Chief Prosecutor
RSS