President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday praised a military drill she observed in waters off eastern Taiwan and denied she was trying to upstage Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) as China prepares to hold military exercises in the Taiwan Strait.
“The military has done a great job in the joint exercise, in which it has fully demonstrated its capabilities to conduct asymmetric warfare and gain naval supremacy [in the Taiwan Strait]. It was impressive,” Tsai said after the drill.
Tsai boarded the Kidd-class destroyer Keelung at Chungcheng Base (中正基地) in Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳) and sailed to watch the offshore combat readiness exercise involving the three branches of the military.
Photo: CNA, Courtesy of the Military News Agency
It was her first time on a warship since taking office in May 2016.
When asked whether the timing of her appearance was intended to outshine Xi, Tsai said: “There is no need to ‘overreact’ to the event.”
“It was just a routine military readiness exercise, marking the start of a series of drills, as the military never rests during the year,” she said.
Photo: CNA, Courtesy of the Military News Agency
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is to hold a live-fire military exercise in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday, when Tsai is to be away from Taiwan on a visit to Swaziland, one of the nation’s two diplomatic allies in Africa.
She leaves on Tuesday and returns on Saturday next week.
“I have confidence in our military,” Tsai said. “My plan to visit Swaziland will not be affected.”
During yesterday’s drill, held to test the nation’s combat readiness and rapid response capabilities, the military simulated a response to invading forces attempting to seize Taiwan’s major sea ports through air and naval attacks.
The navy dispatched 20 vessels in coordination with eight air force F-16s and 2,500 army troops in a joint sea-and-air exercise to repel the simulated attacks.
Xi on Thursday spoke about the importance of Chinese naval power while attending a massive fleet review in the South China Sea.
China on Thursday also announced the live-fire military exercise it plans to hold in the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday.
In response to Beijing’s announcement, the US Department of State on Thursday reiterated Washington’s opposition to unilateral actions by any party aimed at altering the cross-strait “status quo,” including any use of force or other forms of coercion.
The Mainland Affairs Council has said China’s drills would not go down well with the Taiwanese public and urged China to engage in rational communication to ensure peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Additional reporting by Reuters and AP
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RSS