The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said that Chinese warplanes and warships had carried out their first “combat patrol” of the new year, after President William Lai (賴清德) again expressed willingness to talk to Beijing.
China sends its military into the skies and waters near the nation on an almost daily basis, and holds what Taiwan calls “joint combat readiness patrols” several times a month.
The ministry said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighters, carrying out a “joint combat readiness patrol” around Taiwan in conjunction with Chinese warships starting yesterday morning.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
It said the Chinese aircraft flew in the airspace to the north, west, southwest and east of Taiwan, and that forces were dispatched to keep watch.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lai, in his New Year’s Day news conference, reiterated his desire for exchanges with China.
He has repeatedly called for talks, but has been rebuffed.
China’s Eastern Theatre Command on Wednesday released a New Year’s video on social media of warships, warplanes and what appeared to be a Chinese fighter jet flying near a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft that the US sometimes sends through the Taiwan Strait.
The video, set to the song Chinese People (中國人) by Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau (劉德華), also included images of Chinese students visiting Taiwan late last year at the invitation of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Minister of Foreign Affiars Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told reporters in Taipei yesterday that the video was yet more Chinese psychological warfare.
“It is the [Chinese] People’s Liberation Army showing its intimidation of Taiwan,” he said.
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,
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