President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday attended a promotion ceremony in Taipei for 31 senior military officers, his first since his inauguration on May 20.
In a speech, Lai reiterated that the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other.
The Ministry of National Defense honored seven lieutenant generals and 24 major generals who have been promoted this year.
Photo: CNA
Lai affirmed the commitment to duty of the nation’s military personnel and wished the fathers in attendance a happy Father’s Day.
China’s hybrid warfare against Taiwan, such as its unannounced, large-scale military drills around Taiwan, has resulted in regional instability, Lai said.
Taiwan, as a member of the international community, would strive to maintain the “status quo,” and protect regional peace and stability, he said.
“Our invariable commitments are that we adhere to a free and democratic constitutional system, that the ROC and the PRC are not subordinate to each other, that the nation will resist annexation or encroachment upon its sovereignty, and that the future of the Republic of China (Taiwan) must be decided by the 23.5 million people in Taiwan,” Lai said, citing the “four commitments” laid out by former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in 2021.
That is why the government has promoted national defense reform by reinstating one-year conscription, and procuring weapons to buttress its military strength and defense capabilities, the president added.
Taiwan’s enhanced military capabilities were shown in the Han Kuang exercises last month, he said, adding that the goal is to ensure the nation’s survival and development, and to protect people’s lives and property.
In the era of artificial intelligence, challenges include drones, smart or decentralized command structures, and unified kill chains involving multiple arms, as reflected in the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas conflict, he said.
The military must keep up with these trends to strengthen its capabilities, Lai said, adding that he would work with the ministry to ensure a peaceful and prosperous democratic Taiwan.
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,”
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
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.
RSS