A group of French lawmakers landed in Taiwan yesterday, the first high-level European delegation since China conducted huge war drills in the wake of a visit to the nation by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The trip came as Taiwan held two days of live-fire drills in Pingtung County.
Beijing has lashed out at any diplomatic action that might lend Taiwan legitimacy, and has responded with growing anger to visits by Western officials and politicians.
Photo: CNA
The group of five lawmakers is led by French Senator Cyril Pellevat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, adding that it was the fourth visit by French politicians in the past 12 months.
Last month, China sent warships, missiles and fighter jets into the waters and skies around Taiwan in a show of opposition to Pelosi’s presence — its largest and most aggressive exercises since the mid-1990s.
Pelosi, a veteran Beijing critic, was the most senior US politician to visit Taiwan in 25 years. She was followed by multiple separate US delegations last month.
Photo: Ritchie B. Tongo, EPA-EFE
China’s exercises triggered widespread support in the US for solidarity with Taiwan, which already has rare bipartisan support on Capitol Hill.
Many European powers have also grown more vocal in support of Taiwan in the past few years, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has deepened fears that China might do the same to Taiwan.
Politicians from European countries regularly visit the nation.
Beijing has adopted an increasingly bellicose approach to Taiwan under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the country’s most authoritarian leader in a generation.
Xi, who is on the cusp of securing an unprecedented third term, has hitched Taiwan’s fate to his landmark “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” policy.
Like most nations, the US and France officially recognize Beijing over Taipei, but they remain key allies of Taiwan and maintain de facto diplomatic ties with the nation.
Washington’s official policy opposes Taiwan declaring independence and China forcibly changing the Taiwan’s status.
On Tuesday, Taiwanese troops carried out dramatic nighttime live-fire drills, with tanks illuminated by sudden flashes of flame as they fired shells while tracer rounds arced across the night sky.
“We will prepare for war, but will not seek war,” Huang Jing-feng, a battalion commander, told reporters. “We will carry on training to elevate each soldier’s combat skills.”
The drills continued yesterday, with tanks, combat helicopters and mobile missile launchers conducting firing exercises.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS