China has over the past few years ramped up its military pressure on the nation, sending about 2,000 reconnaissance aircraft and warplanes to the Taiwan Strait each year, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
Yen made the remarks at a question-and-answer session on the special budget for the 66 F-16V jets that the nation plans to buy from the US, while fielding a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) on the likelihood of Taiwan and the US engaging in joint military exercises in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region.
Chiang said that thanks to the Link 16 tactical data network installed in the F-16Vs, the new jets would be able to communicate with US warplanes and share data.
He asked whether this would signal closer military cooperation with the US.
Washington has been unequivocally clear that it wants to work with Taiwan in realizing its Indo-Pacific strategy, which is aimed at “containing” China’s military presence, Chiang said.
Yen said that Taiwan’s participation in the Indo-Pacific strategy is a response to enemy activities.
Apart from the 2,000 aircraft, the Chinese Communist Party has also sailed aircraft carriers through the Strait, which has put the nation under greater military threat, Yen said.
He did not give a direct answer as to whether there would be joint military exercises with the US, saying only that Taiwan has had frequent exchanges with the US, and that it would continue asking Washington for opportunities to engage in joint humanitarian and military drills.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said that the nation would cooperate with the US in any strategic planning related to the new jets.
Asked where the military could conduct long-distance training that is suitable to the F-16V’s range, Yen said the east coast, adding that the air force would delineate zones for training different types of aircraft.
KMT Legislator Tung Hui-chen (童惠珍) asked why the nation chose the F-16V over the F-35.
Yen said that the F-35 would not fit the nation’s need to strengthen its air force quickly.
As Taiwan is not involved in the research and development of the F-35, it would have to wait until 2044 if it were to buy this type of plane, he said.
An F-35 fleet would also be more expensive, as it would require a new maintenance system and building new control towers and runways, he said.
KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) asked Yen what the estimated service life of the F-16Vs is, to which Yen replied: “30 years.”
Asked whether there are any plans to purchase next-generation fighters, Yen said the nation must continue bolstering its air combat capabilities, but there are no plans to buy more advanced warplanes.
Tseng then asked whether the nation would “buy whatever the US wants us to [buy],” to which Yen replied: “No.”
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton
RSS