The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday that it has proposed a budget for procuring 66 F-16C/D fighter jets from the US.
Vice Minister of National Defense Kao Kuang-hsi (
The ministry's confirmation of the F-16C/D budget is believed to show its determination to push through its arms budget requests and to respond to a report in a US magazine that said Washington has decided not to sell the fighters to Taiwan for the time being.
ANNUAL REPORT
The ministry also released its annual national defense report at yesterday's press conference.
The report highlights a more aggressive presence of Chinese fighters patrolling and approaching the centerline of the Taiwan Strait.
The report said while Chinese fighters patrolling the Strait made a total of 1,200 sorties in 2000, there were a total of 1,500 sorties in 2001 and a historical high of 1,700 sorties last year.
Chinese Su-27 fighter jets equipped with AA-12 air-to-air missiles -- which have a range of 80km -- made frequent flights in the Strait last month, threatening national security, the report said.
From April to September of last year the Japanese air force intercepted more than 50 Chinese fighters attempting to intrude into Japan's air space, the report said.
In the past three years, Chinese research vessels had intruded into Taiwan's waters more than 20 times, the report said, adding that in 2003, Japan's territorial waters were entered by Chinese research vessels more than 30 times.
The research vessels are believed to be mapping the undersea geography of Taiwan and Japan's territorial waters for China's submarine force, the report said.
SPECIAL MISSILE FORCE
This year's report indicated that the military is establishing a "special missile force," the first time mention of such a force has been made in the annual reports.
Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
"I do not want to highlight the matter," Lee said.
"Every time the development of missiles is mentioned by the media, the military comes under pressure internationally. I do not like the pressure," he said.
The military is believed to be developing 1,000km-range surface-to-surface ballistic missiles and 600km-range cruise missiles.
The report said China currently has 784 ballistic missiles targeted at Taiwan, and is adding missiles at an annual rate of 75 to 100.
The report said China's ballistic missiles are the biggest threat to national security.
TELEGRAM
Meanwhile, the text of a telegram passed on to the ministry from the US said that the Legislative Yuan was to blame for the long-delayed special arms procurement bill, a high-ranking official said yesterday.
Lee showed the message to Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday when he met with Wang to seek support for next year's defense budget.
An official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the US made very strongly worded comments on the delay of the arms procurement bill, which it described as difficult to understand.
The message was passed on to the ministry by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US, the official said.
Wang refused to comment when asked about the text of the message, but he did say that the delay in passage of the arms bill would impact national security.
According to the government's budget statement for the next fiscal year, defense expenditures will reach NT$311.5 billion (US$9.465 million), an increase of NT$70.9 billion (or 29.5 percent) over this year. Most of the increase is because of arms procurements.
Meanwhile, the Central News Agency reported yesterday that Defense News, a US weekly, said the US has not agreed to the F-16 deal because of the long-stalled arms procurement bill.
That package calls for the purchase of P-3C Orion anti-submarine aircraft and PAC-III Patriot anti-missile systems, as well as diesel-electric submarines.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shuai Hua-min (
"As far as I know, the delay of the arms bill was just one of the reasons for the US to reconsider its arms sale. The president's [Chen Shui-bian (
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠) said that he didn't have any information that the stalled arms bill would influence other weapon sales.
"But if it does, that would be the price that we have to pay," Shen said.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
STREAMLINED: The dedicated funding would allow the US to transfer equipment to Taiwan when needed and order upgraded replacements for stockpiles, a source said The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed a defense appropriations bill totaling US$838.7 billion, of which US$1 billion is to be allocated to reinforcing security cooperation with Taiwan and US$150 million to replace defense articles provided to the nation. These are part of the Consolidated Appropriation Act, which the US House yesterday passed with 341 votes in favor and 88 against. The act must be passed by the US Senate before Friday next week to avoid another government shutdown. The US House Committee on Appropriations on Monday unveiled the act, saying that it allocates US$1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative
RSS