Taiwan and the US are to hold comprehensive defense talks and a computer war simulation later this month, defense officials said yesterday amid rising tensions with China.
Vice Defense Minister Lin Chung-pin (
The two-week visit would be the largest in scope in Taiwan-US military talks, the paper added.
A computer war game would be held in Hawaii December 15-17 when the delegates visit the US Pacific Command, the paper said.
The announcement came as tensions between Taipei and Beijing continued to build following President Chen Shui-bian's (
Lin told the legislature that the engagements would cover "routine military exchanges under the framework of the Taiwan Relations Act."
He declined to give details of the visit, citing national interests as stipulated in the act, which governs bilateral issues with the US in the absence of diplomatic ties.
"Even if there is a computer war game, it will be routine and planned a long time ago," Lin said.
The paper said the war simulation was prompted by the need for the US to update its military contingency plans given escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen made his decision to hold a referendum as Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (
The "defensive referendum" was proposed after Taiwan's parliament passed a bill Thursday allowing referendums on constitutional amendments but set hurdles on sensitive issues such as independence and changes to the country's official name, flag and territory.
Chen based the rationale for the sovereignty-related referendum on a clause that empowers the president to initiate a public vote once the country's sovereignty is threatened by a foreign force.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from