The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported.
They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations.
A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations, if a Taiwan contingency becomes imminent, temporary bases would be set up on inhabited islands, the report added.
Japan’s military is expected to mainly provide logistical support for the US marine unit, including supplying fuel and ammunition, it said.
The US Army would also deploy Multi-Domain Task Force long-range fire units in the Philippines, Kyodo said.
The defense ministries of Japan and the Philippines were not immediately available for comment. The US embassy in Manila declined to comment.
Asked about the report yesterday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Taiwan is an “inalienable part of China’s territory.”
“China firmly opposes relevant countries using the Taiwan issue as an excuse to strengthen regional military deployment, provoke tension and confrontation, and damage regional peace and stability,” Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Mao Ning (毛寧) said.
China is building up its military capacity while ramping up pressure on Taiwan. Meanwhile, Washington has been strengthening alliances in the region and infuriating Beijing with regular deployments of ships and fighter jets in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
In other developments, Taiwan yesterday said it had detected a Chinese balloon over waters northwest of the nation, the first such sighting since April.
China regularly deploys fighter jets, drones and warships around Taiwan, and occasionally balloons, as it keeps up military pressure. The latest balloon was spotted at 6:21pm on Sunday, about 111km northwest of Keelung at an altitude of 10,058m, the Ministry of National Defense said.
It entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and disappeared at 8:15pm, the ministry said.
Twelve Chinese military aircraft and seven warships were also detected around the nation in the 24 hours to 6am yesterday, it added.
The ministry releases daily data on China’s military presence around Taiwan.
In the run-up to the January presidential election, balloons crossed the sensitive waters separating Taiwan and China day and night, with some floating above the nation. Taipei has described the balloons as a form of “gray zone” harassment — a tactic that falls short of an act of war.
China has previously brushed off allegations that it sends balloons over Taiwan, accusing Taipei of trying to raise tensions.
Asked about the balloon yesterday, Mao told reporters: “First of all, Taiwan does not have a ‘defense ministry.’ Furthermore, the question you asked is not a diplomatic one.”
Balloons from China became a politically fraught topic early last year when the US shot down what it called a spy balloon. The huge balloon, which carried a large payload of electronics, flew over sensitive US military installations and prompted concerns Beijing was scooping up vital intelligence.
Beijing has said it was a civilian airship blown off-course.
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