Two Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and one Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker yesterday visited Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) to observe a live-fire drill held by the Coast Guard Administration.
The island, the largest of the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), is manned by about 120 coast guard personnel, who have received training similar to that of marines. Taiwan withdrew its marines in 2000 to reduce tensions in the region.
KMT legislators Lin Yu-fang (林郁方) and Chen Cheng-hsiang (陳鎮湘) held a press conference at 6pm to report what they have observed of its beefed-up defenses.
Photo coursery of the office of Lin Yu-fang
The lawmakers’ inspection was arranged to review the implementation of the resolution adopted by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on May 3, which demanded that the government deploy 40mm anti-aircraft guns and 120mm mortars on the island to help reinforce its defenses, Lin said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) also joined the trip, which was led by Lin.
The annual live-fire drill was originally scheduled for last month, but was postponed to this week so the lawmakers could watch the drill, which simulated a counter-amphibious landing campaign on the island and made use of 81mm mortars, 40mm machine guns, 20mm cannons and T-75 guns.
Although the new weapons, shipped to the island on Aug. 10, were not incorporated in the drill, the installation of the 40mm anti-aircraft guns has been completed and land preparation for installation of 120mm mortars was progressing, Lin said.
Lin said some of the coast guard personnel returned to Taiwan to receive training on how to operate the new weapons, while the Ministry of National Defense also dispatched military officers to offer training on the island, Lin said.
“That said, if needed, the new weapons can be used for defense any time soon,” Lin said.
Lin said the new weapons would extend defense of restricted waters in the South China Sea to 6,000m.
At a time when US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Asia pushing for Asian countries to agree on a code of conduct for the South China Sea, Lin said the US has to recognize that “a code of conduct without the participation of the Republic of China [ROC] will not be a workable solution” because the largest of the Spratlys is controlled by the ROC.
Lin brought back six coconuts from Itu Aba to give to President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and five other government officials to “thank them for efforts to enhance the defense.”
According to Wang Kuo-jan (王國然), director-general on home assignment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the ministry said that Vietnam, via a statement of Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesman Luong Thanh Nghi published by the state-owned Vietnam News Agency, has protested against the live-fire drill and the ministry “expected” more protest “any time” from Hanoi.
Vietnam, like Taiwan and China, claims sovereignty over all of the islands in the region, which are also partially claimed by the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.
“We have been paying close attention to reactions from [other claimants.] Vietnam has always raised a protest, but since 1946, Taiping Island has been our territory,” Wang said.
Wang said the government would not stand for nonsense from any country over the actions taken by officials, garrisons and lawmakers to assert the nation’s sovereignty over the island.
“We will brook no interference from anyone over the exertion of sovereignty over Taiping Island,” Wang said.
The island has been governed by the ROC since the nation’s military took control over various South China Sea islands in 1946 after the end of World War II, Wang said.
Through the effective administration of Itu Aba over the past 60 years, the government “has shown perseverance to safeguard our sovereignty in the South China Sea region,” foreign ministry spokesman Steve Hsia (夏季昌) added.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
The nation’s usually punctual high-speed rail system yesterday was hit by major disruptions after all scheduled services were canceled and replaced with three hourly trains offering only non-reserved seating, affecting more than 200,000 passengers. Preliminary findings indicate the disruption was caused by a faulty power module in a track switch control cabinet, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said, adding that as a full system inspection could only be conducted after operations end for the day, a decision on whether normal service would resume today would be announced before the first train departs. During a routine inspection early yesterday, a switch signal abnormality
RSS