The Ministry of National Defense yesterday released a video showcasing Taiwan’s military might in response to a provocative song released by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday.
The PLA released a video on Sina Weibo that depicts Chinese fighters flying around Taiwan and several sites in the nation, including Taipei 101, while the lyrics of My Fighting Eagle Flies Around Taiwan (我的戰鷹繞著寶島飛) tell of the Chinese people’s desire to “reunite Taiwan with the mainland.”
The ministry’s Freedom Is Not Free (自由並非無代價) video includes footage from military exercises conducted last year, included the firing of Hsiung Feng III and Hsiung Feng II missiles, as well as views of Keelung-class destroyers with Mark 26 missile launchers.
Photo: Screen grab from the Ministry of National Defense’s video
It is intended to show China Taiwan’s resolve to defend its sovereignty and freedoms, and that the nation’s military is standing guard around the clock, the ministry said.
The video also includes footage of tanks, M110 self-propelled howitzers, fighters and warships.
“Threats from the enemy only serve to strengthen our resolve to protect our freedom and democracy. We will defend the Republic of China’s continual development, and maintain peace within the Taiwan Strait and in the region,” the ministry said, adding that the nation’s military officers and commanders share these values.
In reference to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Jan. 22 comments that she hoped the nation could invest more in indigenous weapons and defense systems, and that the military would be unwavering in its resolve to protect the nation’s sovereignty and to strengthen itself, “our resolve to protect every inch of the nation’s territory has never wavered, our constant efforts to strengthen the military’s combat ability has never changed,” the ministry said.
The military is moving toward autonomy in the development of new weaponry and defense systems, it said.
“These are our promises to the people of this nation,” it said.
The ministry also thanked the public for its continued support, adding that even during the Lunar New Year holiday, the nation’s soldiers are at their posts day and night, always ready to act.
The video can be found on the ministry’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/MilitarySpokesman/videos/2246671795654981/).
The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday protested to China over Beijing’s saber-rattling measure that it said was aimed at provoking cross-strait and regional tensions.
“This approach aims at reunifying Taiwan with force and will only have counterproductive results as Taiwanese will find it repulsive and distasteful,” the council said in a statement.
Additional reporting by CNA
SOLVED: Domestic orders have already overtaken the total sold to China last year, while the Canadian and US representative offices posted messages of support A joint effort by groups and individuals in Taiwan and abroad to prop up sales of pineapples after China announced a ban on imports of the fruit succeeded in just four days, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday. China on Friday announced that it would suspend imports of Taiwanese pineapples starting on Monday, citing biosafety concerns. Following the announcement, the council urged the public to assist farmers by purchasing pineapples, saying it hoped to sell 20,000 tonnes of the fruit domestically and 30,000 tonnes in exports. “Domestic orders have already surpassed the total sold to China last year,” COA Minister
Taiwanese netizens and politicians yesterday mocked a Chinese plan to build a transportation network linking Beijing and Taipei, calling it “science fiction” and “daydreaming.” Their comments were in reaction to the Chinese State Council’s release last week of its “Guidelines on the National Comprehensive Transportation Network Plan,” which include several proposed transportation links, with one map showing a line running from China’s Jingjinji Metropolitan Region (Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei) across the Taiwan Strait to Taipei. “This is the Chinese leadership daydreaming again of [fulfilling its] fantasy of extending China’s transportation network to Taiwan. I suggest people regard it as science fiction,” Democratic Progressive
‘ONE PERSON PER UNIT’: People undergoing home isolation cannot stay in a housing unit in which non-isolated people live, unless they have special approval Starting tomorrow, people under home isolation would be required to follow the “one person per housing unit” rule if in private housing, or stay at a quarantine hotel or centralized quarantine facility, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said the rules require people under home quarantine to be quarantined with one person per housing unit, or at a quarantine hotel or centralized quarantine facility. “Starting on March 1, individuals under home isolation will also be subject to the ‘one person per housing unit’ rule,” he said. “We
‘UNITED FRONT’: Grooming young Taiwanese to become Internet celebrities or hosts is a Chinese tactic to spread propaganda to influence young people, a source said As part of its “united front” tactics, China has been grooming young Taiwanese to become Internet celebrities or Internet program hosts, a source said on condition of anonymity. Over the past year, about 1,000 Taiwanese living in China have participated in training programs and competitions for show hosts held in several cities, including Xiamen, Wenzhou and Hangzhou, the source said on Saturday. “Beijing is taking advantage of the openness of the Internet to spread propaganda about acceptance of China, and about ‘national security,’” the source said, adding that Taiwan’s national security officials are racing to fix the problem. Chinese infiltration of
RSS