South Korea and the US have shelved a plan to stage a major joint exercise later this month in the Yellow Sea, reflecting concerns about China’s objections, a report said yesterday.
A US aircraft carrier was to participate in the exercise, which has been cancelled over fears that it could heighten tensions around the Korean Peninsula ahead of the G20 summit in Seoul, Yonhap news agency said.
“There will be no exercise involving a US aircraft carrier this year,” an unnamed senior South Korean official was quoted as saying.
The South’s defense ministry refused to comment.
Seoul will host world leaders including US President Barack Obama for the summit from Nov. 11 to Nov. 12, in what is considered South Korea’s biggest appearance on the global stage since the 1988 Summer Olympics in the capital.
South Korea has staged a flurry of military drills — either alone or with the US — as a show of force against North Korea following the sinking of a South Korean warship in March.
The South accused the North of torpedoing the corvette with the loss of 46 lives. The North denied involvement.
On Sept. 1, China launched live-fire naval exercises after voicing opposition to the joint drills.
Any military exercises involving the US in the Yellow Sea are a sensitive issue because of the area’s proximity to China and the disputed maritime boundary between North and South Korea.
China has bristled at the idea of a US aircraft carrier group patrolling waters near its coast.
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
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
RSS