China sailing its aircraft carrier near Taiwan has highlighted the need for the nation to go ahead with a plan to build its own submarines, Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said yesterday.
The indigenous submarine project would not only protect the nation’s territorial security, but also allow Taiwan to contribute to regional security, Feng said at the opening of an exhibition on the history of the navy’s submarine fleet.
In what was seen by many as saber-rattling by Beijing, the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, sailed south in the Pacific Ocean off Taiwan’s eastern coast on Christmas Day before entering the South China Sea.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
On Wednesday, the Liaoning passed through the Taiwan Strait on its way back to its base in northeastern China after conducting training exercises in the South China Sea.
The last time the aircraft carrier transited the Taiwan Strait was in November 2013.
At the ceremony, Feng said that the Ministry of National Defense publicized information to inform the public on the Liaoning’s movements, but stressed that “no special situations” were detected.
According to standing plans for the manufacturing of submarines, the ministry has been negotiating with CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船), the intended contractor, the ministry said, adding that if all goes according to plan, a prototype for the first submarines would undergo combat trials in 2024 and enter service in 2025.
Separately yesterday, former American Institute in Taiwan director Douglas Paal told the Central News Agency that recent aerial and maritime exercises by China’s armed forces near Taiwan were an example of Beijing showcasing its growing military strength and not a show of force directed at Taipei.
“As long as China’s military capabilities continue to grow, we expect to see Beijing expand its maritime activities in the days ahead,” Paal said.
Asked about saber-rattling by Beijing and demands that US president-elect Donald Trump abide by the “one China” policy, Paal said that as Trump has yet to assume office, all China can do is to issue stern statements to express its displeasure.
However, regarding Beijing’s recent threat to “take revenge” if Trump moves away from the “one China” policy, Paal said that the warning is real.
Asked if he expected Beijing to continue its effort to poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, such as the severing of diplomatic relations with Sao Tome and Principe on Dec. 20, Paal said the incident with the west African nation was probably driven by interests other than China’s desire to punish Taiwan.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS