A Philippine military spokesman yesterday said alleged plans by the Taiwanese military to deploy surface-to-air missiles on Taiping Island (太平島) in the South China Sea could fuel tensions in the region and be seen as an act of aggression by other claimants to a series of disputed islets.
Calling the move “unsettling” and “uncalled for,” Philippine Defense Department spokesman Zosimo Paredes said how other countries in the region would react to what he saw as an “out of the ordinary” move by Taiwan remained to be seen.
Minister of National Defense Kao Hua-chu (高華柱) on Wednesday gave signs he supported a proposal by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to deploy the Air Force’s Antelope air defense system — a derivative of the indigenous Tien Chien I “Sky Sword” (天劍一, TC-1) air-to-air missile used on the CK-1 Indigenous Defense Fighter — or the US-made M48A2 “Chaparral” on Taiping.
As the Chaparral is an aging system, the Antelope, developed by the Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, is a likelier candidate. According to Jane’s Defence Weekly, the Antelope, which carries four modified TC-1 missiles per unit, has a range of 9,000m and a maximum altitude of 3,000m.
Kao said the ministry would be amenable to such a deployment, provided it received a request from the Coast Guard Administration (CGA), which since 1999 has overseen Taiwan’s claims to Taiping.
Coast Guard Administration Minister Wang Ginn-wang (王進旺) told the legislature last week that his agency and the ministry had launched a two-month combat readiness evaluation for Taiping earlier this month.
Wang said a decision on deploying additional personnel or acquiring advanced weaponry would be made following the evaluation.
At present, the CGA relies mostly on machine guns to defend the island, on which Taiwan completed construction of a 1,150m airstrip in 2008, sparking protest from some regional claimants.
In his question-and-answer session with Kao, Lin singled out the Philippines and Vietnam as the nation’s principal adversaries in the region, while not mentioning China.
Paredes, who said Manila was prepared to “defend to the hilt” islets it already occupied in the Spratly Islands (南沙群島), nevertheless attempted to play down the significance of the news.
“That’s their [Taiwan] own prerogative. Should they want to do that, nobody can stop them, but they should not encroach into other interests so that peace will prevail,” he said.
“If they are just to protect their own interests there is no problem, I don’t see any problem there,” he said, calling Taiwan “a friend” of the Philippines and asking Taipei to coordinate its moves with neighboring countries.
Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, the Philippines and Malaysia lay claim to all or parts of the Spratlys, which are believed to sit on important oil and natural gas reserves.
Reacting to news of the possible missile deployment, the US on Friday appealed for calm and called on all claimants to avoid sparking an arms buildup.
“We encourage all claimants to resolve their disputes through peaceful means, in accordance with international law and without resorting to the threat or use of force,” US Department of Defense spokesman George Little told reporters in Washington.
Additional reporting by AFP
Beijing’s continued provocations in the Taiwan Strait reveal its intention to unilaterally change the “status quo” in the area, the US Department of State said on Saturday, calling for a peaceful resolution to cross-strait issues. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported that four China Coast Guard patrol vessels entered restricted and prohibited waters near Kinmen County on Friday and again on Saturday. A State Department spokesperson said that Washington was aware of the incidents, and urged all parties to exercise restraint and refrain from unilaterally changing the “status quo.” “Maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is in line with our [the
EXTENDED RANGE: Hsiung Sheng missiles, 100 of which might be deployed by the end of the year, could reach Chinese command posts and airport runways, a source said A NT$16.9 billion (US$534.93 million) project to upgrade the military’s missile defense systems would be completed this year, allowing the deployment of at least 100 long-range Hsiung Sheng missiles and providing more deterrence against China, military sources said on Saturday. Hsiung Sheng missiles are an extended-range version of the Hsiung Feng IIE (HF-2E) surface-to-surface cruise missile, and are believed to have a range of up to 1,200km, which would allow them to hit targets well inside China. They went into mass production in 2022, the sources said. The project is part of a special budget for the Ministry of National Defense aimed at
READY TO WORK: Taiwan is eager to cooperate and is hopeful that like-minded states will continue to advocate for its inclusion in regional organizations, Lai said Maintaining the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, and peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region must be a top priority, president-elect William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after meeting with a delegation of US academics. Leaders of the G7, US President Joe Biden and other international heads of state have voiced concerns about the situation in the Strait, as stability in the region is necessary for a safe, peaceful and prosperous world, Lai said. The vice president, who is to be inaugurated in May, welcomed the delegation and thanked them for their support for Taiwan and issues concerning the Strait. The international community
COOPERATION: Two crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank off Kinmen were rescued, two were found dead and another two were still missing at press time The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) was yesterday working with Chinese rescuers to find two missing crewmembers from a Chinese fishing boat that sank southwest of Kinmen County yesterday, killing two crew. The joint operation managed to rescue two of the boat’s six crewmembers, but two were already dead when they were pulled from the water, the agency said in a statement. Rescuers are still searching for two others from the Min Long Yu 61222, a boat registered in China’s Fujian Province that capsized and sank 1.03 nautical miles (1.9km) southwest of Dongding Island (東碇), it added. CGA Director-General Chou Mei-wu (周美伍) told a