Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) confirmed yesterday at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee that the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has issued a position paper on its anti-missile forces build-up plan in preparation for Taiwan's first-ever referendum.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Nelson Ku (顧崇廉) said the ministry has been working on an anti-missile battery deployment plan since 1997 and will begin to implement a Patriot anti-missile battery procurement project in 2005.
The ministry's position paper makes it clear, Ku said, that no matter what the results of the March 20 referendum will be, its plan to purchase advanced anti-missile weaponry systems will not be affected.
"Against this backdrop, do we really need to hold a referendum alongside the March 20 presidential election?" Ku asked.
Tang did not answer Ku's question directly, saying only that the ministry has explained its stance "based on professionalism." Tang also refrained from revealing to whom copies of the position paper have been distributed.
The MND position paper points out that China's missile threat has existed for a long time and that China has so far refused to renounce the option of using force against Taiwan.
According to the position paper, China now has more than 100 strategic ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads that can strike any country in the world. In the future, the position paper says, China's strategic missiles, which are of various configurations and types, including Dongfeng 3, 4, 5, 5A, 21, 21A and 31, will be able to be fired from anywhere at sea, around the globe.
In addition, the position paper says, China has deployed about 500 tactical ballistic missiles of four types -- Dongfeng 11, 11A, 15 and 15A -- along its southeastern coast opposite Taiwan.
Each tactical missile is armed with multiple high-explosive warheads.
These tactical missiles can not only strike any area of Taiwan, but can also reach major US military bases in South Korea, Okinawa and elsewhere in Japan.
Noting that China's annual tactical missile output ranges between 50 and 75 units, the position paper predicts that the number of tactical missiles deployed in coastal Chinese provinces will exceed 600 by 2005.
The position paper further says that China's tactical missiles are mobile and tightly guarded and require only a short preparation time prior to launch. Their accuracy rate has been greatly increased with the installation of satellite positioning systems.
In the face of the intensified missile build-up, the position paper says, Taiwan has to beef up its anti-missile defense capabilities.
Tang also said Taiwan will not be able to push through a US$15 billion special budget to buy advanced US weaponry before next month's presidential election.
The special budget would help pay for submarines, air-defense vessels, submarine-hunting aircraft and anti-missile systems that US President George W. Bush promised to sell to Taiwan three years ago.
"There are proper procedures for arms purchases," Tang said. "The NT$500 billion (US$15.1 billion) special budget will not be ready to be submitted before the presidential election."
A local newspaper yesterday reported that the ministry would finish drafting the budget and submit it to the Cabinet on March 18.
Taiwan officials said in August that the US$15 billion special budget would pay for eight diesel-engine submarines, four Kidd-class destroyers, 12 P-3C Orion aircraft and anti-missile Patriot PAC-3 systems.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique