Expressing regret that Beijing issued a map earlier in the day of an East China Sea air defense identification zone that includes the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), the Taiwanese government yesterday called on all parties involved to remain calm in dealing with the issue to avoid an escalation of regional tensions.
The islands, known as the Senkaku Islands in Japan, are also claimed by Taiwan and Japan.
China’s ministry of Defense issued a statement on its Web site yesterday regarding the establishment of the zone.
The statement was accompanied by a map and a set of rules regarding the zone, which stated that all aircraft must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or do not comply with orders from Beijing.
It did not elaborate on the punitive measures, but said the rules went into effect yesterday.
In response, Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) expressed regret over China’s move and said the military would take measures to protect national security and sovereignty in accordance with relevant regulations and rules.
Later yesterday, the National Security Council issued a statement which referred to the East China Sea peace initiative promoted by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in August last year and called on all parties to show restraint, shelve disputes and work together to develop the resources in the waters around the Diaoyutai Islands through joint efforts.
Commenting on the matter, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who sits on the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, called on China not to incite regional tension.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), who also sits on the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, suggested that China’s move was aimed at Japan, as China did not include Taiwan’s Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼) in its East China Sea air defense identification zone.
Li Fung, a Hong Kong-based Chinese military expert, said that China’s move can be regarded as an effort to bolster Beijing’s sovereignty claims over the islands.
It also showed the Chinese government is preparing for military conflict with Japan over the disputed islands, Li said.
Tensions between China and Japan have escalated after Japan purchased three of the five Senkaku Islands from their private owners in September last year and nationalized them.
This move was seen as undermining a tacit agreement between China and Japan, Li said.
Japan has also taken a similar measure by creating a military identification zone over the disputed islands, Li added.
Since then, China has sent regular coast guard patrols to the islands, which are 200km northeast of Taiwan and 400km west of Japan’s Okinawa.
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS