The US government is considering a plan to jointly produce weapons with Taiwan, Japan’s Nikkei newspaper reported yesterday, citing three sources.
Washington wants to step up production capacity for US-designed arms and speed up their transfer as part of a move to bolster deterrence against China, Nikkei reported.
The report added that a person with direct knowledge of the US government’s deliberations said discussions had begun, while a different source said it was likely to take some time.
Photo: CNA
Possibilities would include the US providing technology to produce weapons in Taiwan, or producing the weapons in the US using Taiwanese parts, the Nikkei added.
Taiwan’s military would be “fully prepared” for any Chinese invasion whether Beijing decides to move up or push back a purported timeline to attack, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) said yesterday.
Chiu made the remarks before a meeting at the legislature when asked by the media to comment on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying on Monday that Beijing was determined to annex Taiwan on a “much faster timeline.”
Blinken had been speaking with former US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at an event at Stanford University.
“The military knows what it will have to do, whether in the next second or the next hour, while preparing for war. It will not sit idly by whether Beijing moves up or pushes back [its timeline to invade Taiwan]. It will have its own timeline, and it will pay attention to signs and make forecasts about possible developments accordingly,” the minister said.
Chiu reiterated the need for the military to defend itself if it sustained a “first strike” from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
“If someone tries to push you, you must dodge or deflect him,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Pat Ryder on Tuesday said the US would continue to focus on deterring China from taking military action against Taiwan in response to reporters’ questions about whether China had moved up a purported timeline to invade Taiwan.
CIA Deputy Director David Cohen last month said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had ordered the PLA to have the capability to take control of Taiwan by force by 2027.
US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl on Aug. 8 said that the Pentagon had not changed its assessment that China would not take Taiwan by force in the next few years.
During Tuesday’s press briefing, Ryder was asked whether the Pentagon’s assessment had changed following Blinken’s remarks.
Ryder said that the Pentagon would not speculate on a timeline other than highlighting recent remarks by Xi that China would take Taiwan by force if necessary.
The US’ focus is on preserving stability and security throughout the Indo-Pacific region and would continue to concentrate on “deterring possible military action and calling on both sides to resolve these [sovereignty] issues peacefully” under Washington’s “one China” policy, he said.
In related news, troops stationed in Penghu County conducted live-fire drills early yesterday morning that involved artillery and tanks.
The drills, a standard monthly exercise, began with the firing of flares using 105mm and 155mm howitzers and 81mm and 120mm mortars. Troops also fired .50 cal machine guns and M249 light machine guns.
The drill concluded with M60A3 battle tanks and CM21 armored vehicles firing into the sea in a display of the army’s defensive capabilities.
The exercises were held based on a scenario involving the Chinese military sending warplanes and warships toward Penghu after conducting live-fire drills around Taiwan proper.
This story has been amended since it was first published.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
RSS