The military is to be on high alert around the Jan. 13 elections to prepare for any activity by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
From 5pm on Jan. 12 to 8am on Jan. 14, all branches of the military are to be on high alert while maintaining regular operations, Office of Operations and Planning Deputy Head Colonel Lo Yung-chang (羅永昶) told foreign media following a regular briefing at the ministry in Taipei.
During this period, the military is to maintain close contact with joint intelligence offices to keep an eye on PLA movements, Lo said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Regardless of whether it utilizes “gray zone” tactics or more overt aggression, the military would handle it flexibly and in accordance with regulations, he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry yesterday said that another Chinese balloon crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, the fifth this month.
The military is to “handle” Chinese balloons flying nearby based on threat assessments, although officials believe the current wave is for weather purposes, driven by the prevailing winds, the ministry said.
From October to March, Chinese balloons are more regularly spotted due to the winds at that time of year, ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) said.
“Generally speaking, most of the ones we have spotted so far are weather balloons,” he said. “They are from China, and not necessarily from the PLA.”
The ministry would say if the balloons are for surveillance purposes, but it is so far not possible to judge whether the balloons seen are related to the elections, he said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS