China yesterday warned against continued Taiwan-US cooperation, responding to reports that the US military was sending officers to help train Taiwanese counterparts and that a delegation of defense contractors would be visiting the nation next week.
“We resolutely oppose the US having any form of official or military contact with China’s Taiwan region,” China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) told a weekly news briefing in Beijing.
Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China, but the Chinese Communist Party says it is obliged to unite with China, by force if necessary.
Photo: CNA
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government has flown fighter jets and bombers near Taiwan in increasing numbers, and fired missiles into the sea in an attempt to intimidate the nation.
Taiwanese media reported this month that the US had sent 200 military personnel, mostly marines, to help train Taiwanese troops.
The Ministry of National Defense has neither denied nor confirmed the report.
Meanwhile, a delegation of about 25 defense contractors is visiting the nation next week, hosted by the US-Taiwan Business Council.
Nikkei Asia reported that the weapons manufacturers would discuss joint production of drones and ammunition in Taiwan.
“US defense contractors intentionally provoke confrontation between the two sides, taking the opportunity to make a profit,” Zhu said.
She accused the Democratic Progressive Party, which has been in power for six years, of colluding with the US to press for formal Taiwanese independence.
The US does not formally recognize the Taiwanese government, but is Taipei’s most vital provider of weapons and other security assistance, as well as political support.
China has turned up the heat by sending fighter jets and navy vessels near the nation on a near-daily basis, especially in response to political meetings between Taiwan and the US.
Earlier this month, China held large-scale military exercises simulating a strike on key targets in Taiwan in response to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS