Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) yesterday said the US government’s removal of China from the Rim of the Pacific Exercise invitation list has created a “superb” opportunity for Taiwan to be included in the military drill.
Yen made the remark in response to questions from lawmakers during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
The Rim of the Pacific Exercise is held every two years in June and July, and is overseen by the US Pacific Fleet.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) asked if the government is stepping up its efforts to participate after Washington on Wednesday last week rescinded its invitation to China for this year’s exercise.
The government has consistently lobbied to be a part of the exercise and the decision to do so this year was not prompted by China’s exclusion, Yen said.
Tsai said he believes Taiwan has an excellent opportunity to participate this year, because the nation’s exclusion in the past stemmed from China’s threats to pull out of the drill.
Participation in the exercise would be beneficial, even if only logistical units are involved, Tsai said, adding that the government should put more effort into negotiating the issue with the US.
The US Congress has expressed its support for improving bilateral military ties with Taiwan, as shown by the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act and other bills, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said, adding that lawmakers would like to know how much headway the government has made in lobbying for Taiwan’s inclusion in the exercise.
The government is grateful for support from the US and the laws should have a positive effect on official Taiwan-US exchanges, Yen said.
The government continues to engage in meaningful dialogue with the US, including negotiating for arms sales and for inclusion in the exercise, he said, adding that Taiwan has “a superb opportunity” to be part of the exercise, but much depends on the attitude of US policymakers.
Meanwhile, the minister dismissed a report that the US might send technical specialists to Taiwan to assist in building submarines.
“There is no such information and it is a groundless report,” Yen said at the hearing.
Taipei-based online media outlet Up Media yesterday reported that a US submarine design team had requested approval from US government authorities to help Taiwan build submarines, because of an agreement it had signed with CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台船).
The request was being reviewed and if given the green light, the design team would send 200 specialists to work at CSBC and take part in Taiwan’s “indigenous defense submarine program” by as early as the end of this year, the report said.
Although he dismissed the report, Yen confirmed ongoing defense ties between Taiwan and the US.
“We appreciate the long-term support of the US Congress, which has advocated bills that are friendly to Taiwan, that help strengthen Taiwan’s defense capabilities and boost bilateral military exchanges,” Yen said. “These exchanges are aimed at cementing peace and stability in the region, and we will continue to develop bilateral consultations.”
The US House of Representatives on Thursday last week passed the US$717 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2019 that included provisions to assist with the improvement of Taiwan’s military capabilities.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS