The solidifying military alliance between China and Russia constitutes a grave challenge to regional security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a report released yesterday.
The increase in Sino-Russian strategic cooperation has triggered a regional arms race, making the region less secure and stable, said the MAC-commissioned report, which was edited by Tung Hui-ming (董慧明), an associate professor of China military studies at National Defense University.
Naval drills jointly conducted by China and Russia in July were a sign that the two nations intended to further their military cooperation, which could lead to a surge in low-intensity “gray zone” conflict, the report said.
Photo: EPA-EFE / Xinhua / Liu Fang
In May, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing, saying in a joint statement that the two nations would deepen their comprehensive strategic partnership, it said.
The statement declared an intention to upgrade collaboration between Beijing and Moscow in political, economic and military domains while putting their discontent with the Western-led international order on display, the report said.
The Chinese and Russian combined naval drills from July 15 to 17 were a demonstration of their joint military capabilities and show of force directed at nations in the region, it said.
The exercises were conducted in waters off Zhanjiang in China’s Guangdong Province, the base of operations for the Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), the report said.
The selection of the naval base in Zhanjiang to assemble the fleets that took part in the drills signaled the intent and apparent capability of Beijing and Moscow to project power jointly in the region, it said.
The PLAN deployed the Nanning Type 052D guided missile destroyer, two Type 054A guided missile destroyers and a Type 903 replenishment oiler, as well as navy helicopters and marines, while Russia deployed two Gnevny-class destroyers and a Dubna-class oiler, the report said.
The combined force possessed potent anti-ship, anti-submarine and logistics capabilities, and implied that the two navies have achieved interoperability, it said.
Their bolstered military cooperation is likely to facilitate the expansion of China’s sphere of influence, increase Chinese military activities in the Pacific — including in the Taiwan Strait — and lead to a hardening of the US-led security alliance in the region, it said.
As East Asian nations perceive military displays by China and Russia as a direct challenge to their sovereignty and territorial integrity, and not merely for show, their responses would likely be forceful, the report said.
That means regional conflicts might escape the “gray zone” to become low-intensity, but high-frequency clashes, it said, adding that more effective deconfliction mechanisms are needed to maintain peace and security in the region.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS