Taiwan did have plutonium-related experiments several decades ago for the development of nuclear power, but none was about extracting plutonium as an ingredient for nuclear weapons, and the experiments were abandoned in the late 70s, the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said yesterday, in response to a recent news report.
The Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday reported from Vienna that information from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicates Taiwan's plutonium separation experiments probably continued until about 20 years ago.
The AP attributed that finding to unnamed diplomats, whose information was based on preliminary samples taken in Taiwan by IAEA inspectors.
AEC officials yesterday said that the report was misleading.
"Several decades ago, Taiwan did carry out plutonium-related experiments in a bid to analyze the element's chemical characteristics," AEC Vice Chairman Yang Chao-yie (楊昭義) told the Taipei Times.
"At that time, scientists believed that the mixture of oxidized uranium and plutonium might be a possible fuel for nuclear power plants," Yang said.
Yang stressed that Taiwan's plutonium-related experiments were quite different from those involving plutonium separation, which can produce fissile material for nuclear weapons.
Yang said that plutonium-related experiments in Taiwan had been abandoned in the late 1970s, when then US president Jimmy Carter called for a total ban on the reprocessing of plutonium as fuel.
"Most facilities have been dismantled and two remaining gloveboxes [facilities used in plutonium experiments] will be destroyed in the near future," Yang said.
South Korea's revelation about its extracting a small amount of plutonium in the early 1980s might have motivated not only the IAEA but also other Western observers to keep their eyes on other Asian countries.
However, Taiwan has fully cooperated with IAEA inspectors and will continue to do so, Yang said.
"All nuclear related facilities in Taiwan are fully open to IAEA inspectors. They are welcome to make a check here any time," Yang said.
As of yesterday, the IAEA had not officially released its analysis on samples taken in Taiwan.
Local defense analysts said recent controversies about arms procurement involving a NT$610.8 billion weapon budget had been regarded as a possible sign of a cross-strait arms race in near future.
"It's logical for international political observers to ask if Taiwan, which is capable of developing nuclear weapons, would revive its past nuclear program in the near future due to increasing cross-strait tensions," Andrew Yang (
Although Taiwan is a not a party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the nation is still under pressure from the international community, which is currently focused on both counterterrorism and halting the spread of weapons of mass destruction, Andrew Yang said.
In order to further ensure regional security in eastern Asia, influential Taiwanese influential political leaders, such as President Chen Shui-bian (
On Tuesday, Premier Yu Shyi-kun denied that Taiwan was developing nuclear weapons in response to questions from People First Party Legislator Nelson Ku (
"Is there a group of non-U.S. scientists working on nuclear weapons in Taiwan?" Ku asked. "Is there a five-person team, including active and past members from the current administration, planning the development of nuclear weapons?"
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
RSS