Taiwan has started negotiations with the US regarding the procurement of 66 F-16 fighter aircraft in order to strengthen its national defense, Deputy Minister of National Defense Ko Cheng-heng (
Ko's comments appeared in an interview published in Japan's Nihon Keizai Shimbun yesterday.
Ko was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the arms purchase bill passed by the legislature in the middle of last month -- which included funds for the acquisition of 12 P-3C anti-submarine aircraft -- would help narrow the gap in military capacity between Taiwan and China.
Ministry of National Defense estimates show that the arms purchase will help maintain a ratio in military capabilities of 1:1.67 between Taiwan and China until 2035.
This ratio, Ko said, would allow Taiwan to defend itself.
The legislature has already made it clear it will pass a classified budget for the purchase of 66 F16C/D fighter jets, pending approval by the US, he said.
The F16C/D is an improved version of the 146 F16A/B fighter aircraft Taiwan currently has in its fleet.
Ko said the aircraft carrier that China plans to develop is not necessary for launching an attack on Taiwan.
Instead, Ko said, the buildup is incontrovertible evidence that China is trying to use its military expansion to develop into a global power.
The ministry has determined that since the beginning of this year, Beijing has increased its military activities in the East China Sea, Ko said.
Chinese military ships and aircraft have also appeared more frequently in the waters and airspace east of Taiwan since the beginning of this year, probably to collect intelligence, Ko said.
Ko expressed his hope for expanded military exchanges between Taiwan and Japan and praised the defense white paper recently issued by Tokyo.
He was referring to the report issued on Friday by the Japanese Defense Ministry.
The report expressed concerns over a lack of transparency in China's fast-growing military spending.
It also stated that China's military buildup was more ambitious than what would be required for it to enter into military conflict with Taiwan.
The annual report, approved by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet, argued that China's buildup of its navy and air force -- in addition to its interest in acquiring aircraft carrier capability -- was to enable it to project force outside its immediate boundaries.
The report also warned that North Korea has been improving its missile system so that it could cover all of east Asia and potentially reach the northern tip of Australia as well as part of Alaska.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official yesterday said that a delegation that visited China for an APEC meeting did not receive any kind of treatment that downgraded Taiwan’s sovereignty. Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) said that he and a group of ministry officials visited Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting last month. The trip went “smoothly and safely” for all Taiwanese delegates, as the Chinese side arranged the trip in accordance with long-standing practices, Sun said at the ministry’s weekly briefing. The Taiwanese group did not encounter any political suppression, he said. Sun made the remarks when
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
BROAD AGREEMENT: The two are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff to 15% and a commitment for TSMC to build five more fabs, a ‘New York Times’ report said Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday reported that the two nations are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to building at least five more facilities in the US. “The agreement, which has been under negotiation for months, is being legally scrubbed and could be announced this month,” the paper said,
MIXED SOURCING: While Taiwan is expanding domestic production, it also sources munitions overseas, as some, like M855 rounds, are cheaper than locally made ones Taiwan and the US plan to jointly produce 155mm artillery shells, as the munition is in high demand due to the Ukraine-Russia war and should be useful in Taiwan’s self-defense, Armaments Bureau Director-General Lieutenant General Lin Wen-hsiang (林文祥) told lawmakers in Taipei yesterday. Lin was responding to questions about Taiwan’s partnership with allies in producing munitions at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. Given the intense demand for 155mm artillery shells in Ukraine’s defense against the Russian invasion, and in light of Taiwan’s own defensive needs, Taipei and Washington plan to jointly produce 155mm shells, said Lin,
RSS