Defense systems on two of Taiwan’s islands in the disputed South China Sea are capable of deterring an invasion by Chinese forces, defense officials said yesterday.
During a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy had commissioned three new vessels last week, including a Type 075 helicopter landing dock.
The new amphibious assault vessel gives the Chinese navy the ability to launch various helicopters that could attack enemy vessels, ground forces or submarines, and could also be used to deploy landing craft and troops, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Water Resources Agency via CNA
Tsai asked whether the nation’s defense and weapons systems on the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) and Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) in the South China Sea are capable of dealing with the growing military threat posed by China.
Coast Guard Administration Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) said the coast guard, which is responsible for safeguarding the islands, is equipped with defensive weapon systems and would ask for military assistance if necessary in the event of a confrontation.
Lee Shih-Chiang (李世強), head of the Ministry of National Defense’s Department of Strategic Planning, said that the military has weapons to counter a Chinese invasion, but declined to provide details, citing secrecy.
The Pratas and Itu Aba islands are 450km and 1,600km southwest of Kaohsiung respectively. Coast guard personnel trained by marines are stationed on the islands, but the ministry last year said it would temporarily post marines on the Pratas amid reports that the Chinese military planned to conduct drills in the area.
The military never revealed details of the plan, nor did it confirm how many marines would be deployed or for how long.
The islands are defended by 40mm anti-aircraft artillery and 120mm mortars, according to media reports.
The coast guard had said earlier that it would deploy 292 Kestrel anti-armor rockets on the islands to bolster defense, amid Beijing’s increasing military incursions in the region.
The rocket, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, is a shoulder-launched weapon for armor and concrete penetration.
In addition to the Type 075 landing helicopter dock, China has also launched a Type 055 destroyer and a Type 094 Jin-class ballistic missile submarine.
Beijing’s military deployment in the South China Sea has created regional tensions, National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tung (陳明通) said, adding that the bureau is closely monitoring the situation.
Taiwan, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam claim all or part of the South China Sea.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,
New Party Deputy Secretary-General You Chih-pin (游智彬) this morning went to the National Immigration Agency (NIA) to “turn himself in” after being notified that he had failed to provide proof of having renounced his Chinese household registration. He was one of more than 10,000 naturalized Taiwanese citizens from China who were informed by the NIA that their Taiwanese citizenship might be revoked if they fail to provide the proof in three months, people familiar with the matter said. You said he has proof that he had renounced his Chinese household registration and demanded the NIA provide proof that he still had Chinese
RSS