Taipei and Washington have signed an agreement to share information on scientific research that would allow representatives of Taiwan’s research institutions, including the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau, to visit national defense research institutions and laboratories in the US next year, an unnamed senior military official said yesterday.
Such US facilities have never been open to Taiwanese researchers, the official said, adding that the deal would greatly benefit Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities, including the domestic production of military vessels and aircraft.
Cooperation with the US is expected to shorten the institute’s development and production time and could provide a breakthrough, as well as reduce the time needed for ongoing enhancement programs for the Tien Kung (“Sky Bow”) surface-to-air missile, the Tien Chien (“Sky Sword”) air-to-air missile and the Hsiung Feng (“Brave Wind”) anti-ship missile systems, the source said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
It could also help the institute cut costs, the official said, adding that the benefits are difficult to measure.
The official did not specify which facilities Taiwanese representatives would be allowed to visit, saying that would depend on US officials.
Taiwan’s resources are limited, as the annual defense budget is only about US$10 billion, the official said, adding that as it is difficult to compete with China in terms of quantity, Taiwan needs to focus its resources on key projects.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Although Taiwan is confident about its technological capabilities, the US is the world leader in the arms industry, said Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇), coconvener of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
If Taiwanese and US researchers can visit each other, it would help Taiwan achieve breakthroughs in military technology, he said.
More importantly, exchanges between researchers are on a higher level than joint military exercises, Wang said, adding that they would symbolize close relations with the US.
Photo: Lo Tien-pin, Taipei Times
The passage of US legislation that is advantageous to Taiwan, including parts of the latest National Defense Authorization Act and the Taiwan Travel Act, have created opportunities to facilitate equal and mutually beneficial exchanges between Taiwan and the US, said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lu Yu-ling (呂玉玲), the committee’s other coconvener.
However, as Taiwan is in desperate need of actual assistance from the US, mutual exchanges between military research institutions would provide a significant boost to Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities and the development of the domestic defense industry, she said.
As relations warm between North and South Korea, and North Korea and the US, Taiwan cannot become a bargaining chip in international relations, Lu said.
Aside from improving Taiwan-US relations, if Taiwan engages in further exchanges with the US military and research institutions, it could also improve the nation’s self-defense capabilities, in turn elevating its importance and position on the international stage, she said.
The government and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday both spoke out against plans by the Chinese government to enact a national security law in Hong Kong. Chinese officials yesterday confirmed that the National People’s Congress would review a bill “on establishing and improving the legal system and enforcement mechanisms for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to safeguard national security.” The Presidential Office said that the announcement was evidence that the “one country, two systems” framework fundamentally clashes with democratic freedoms. The de-escalation of tensions between Hong Kong and Beijing relies on the Chinese government’s willingness to respond to Hong Kongers’ demands,
NPP WARNING: The NPP’s chairman said that a security law proposed by Beijing means it has renounced its promise to maintain ‘one country, two systems’ in HK The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday proposed changing the law to provide protection for those seeking political asylum. China at the opening of the National People’s Congress in Beijing on Thursday introduced a draft security law for Hong Kong to ban treason, subversion and sedition, with a review expected next week. TPP caucus whip Jang Chyi-lu (張其祿) said that the party is concerned about democracy advocates in Hong Kong and has taken action to support them. The party has proposed an amendment to Article 18 of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例), which stipulates that the government can offer
The number of people from Hong Kong applying for residency in Taiwan last year rose 41 percent from a year earlier to 5,858, National Immigration Agency statistics showed. The statistics also showed that 600 applications were filed by Hong Kong residents in the first quarter of this year — three times the number filed in the same period last year — with applicants apparently not deterred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Just one day after it was reported that the Chinese government plans to enact new national security laws in Hong Kong, inquiries regarding immigration to Taiwan grew 10-fold, a Hong Kong-based immigration
‘BEGINNING OF THE END’: Democracy advocate Joshua Wong urged Hong Kongers to stand up and fight, and let the Chinese government know that they will not cave Hong Kong protesters yesterday battled with riot police in busy downtown areas, showing their opposition toward China’s dramatic move to crack down on dissent in the biggest demonstration since the coronavirus swept through the territory in January. Police deployed a water cannon and fired tear gas in the Causeway Bay shopping area after hundreds of protesters had gathered to oppose new national security legislation from China. Police warned the crowd they were taking part in an illegal gathering, and later said in a statement that “rioters threw umbrellas, water bottles and other objects at them.” At least 120 people were arrested,
RSS