News of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) Type 076 Sichuan amphibious assault ship highlights the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ambition to expand its sea power, experts said yesterday.
The Sichuan is likely equipped with cutting-edge military technology, which indicates increased PLAN capabilities, experts said.
Recent displays of new Chinese equipment were impressive and showed that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has achieved breakthroughs in its military industry capabilities, Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said.
Screen grab from YouTube
However, Su said that he considered such breakthroughs to be advances in design, and that the capabilities of such ships are unknown.
The ship highlighted a shift in China’s national strategy, he said, adding that Beijing wants to have a strong blue sea navy that would enable it to implement its “two oceans, three seas” strategy.
The strategy refers to China’s increased presence and capability to influence affairs in the Indian and Pacific oceans, the East China and South China seas, and the Taiwan Strait.
The Type 076 vessel can reconnoiter and launch ranged strikes simultaneously, Tamkang University Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies assistant professor Lin Ying-yu (林穎佑) said, adding that the ship shows that the PLAN is moving away from the traditional amphibious landing concept.
Reports of Chinese advances in technology are largely aimed at China’s citizens, as Taiwan would only use such information to bolster defenses and prepare countermeasures, Lin said.
Su said the PLA is capable of producing fighters such as the reported Chinese sixth-generation fighter, but he expected that the performance and life expectancy of its engines are at least a decade behind US’ fighter jets.
The recent release of photographs and reports on the sixth-generation fighter was aimed at placating internal strife, as morale of the Chinese military had taken a hit due to several high-level corruption cases, Su said.
The news about China’s military capabilities could backfire and cause the administration of US president-elect Donald Trump to step up its containment strategies against Beijing, he added.
National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (NKUST) yesterday promised it would increase oversight of use of Chinese in course materials, following a social media outcry over instances of simplified Chinese characters being used, including in a final exam. People on Threads wrote that simplified Chinese characters were used on a final exam and in a textbook for a translation course at the university, while the business card of a professor bore the words: “Taiwan Province, China.” Photographs of the exam, the textbook and the business card were posted with the comments. NKUST said that other members of the faculty did not see
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
RSS