Reacting to media reports about large-scale military exercises to be launched by China shortly after Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) May 20 presidential inauguration, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday there were few clues to confirm a threat to Taiwan's security.
Military spokesman Kung Fan-ding (
"The activities of the PLA are always under close scrutiny. The defense ministry will make public the latest movements of the PLA if they pose a threat to the security of Taiwan," Kung said.
He made the remarks in response to press questions over reports about a planned large-scale military exercise by the PLA, said to be launched on May 25.
The exercises, which have been code-named "Qiong Dao No. 4 (
Comprised of four separate drills, the exercise is to be conducted mainly on the Hainan Dao, with topographically-similar Taiwan being the apparent target. The drill on the island will focus on amphibious landing maneuvers.
In response to Kung's remarks, a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military does not have the ability to get real-time information about PLA movements, without assistance from US spy satellites.
Even US spy satellites can not provide a 24-hour reconnaissance of the PLA, the official said.
The military still relies on information sent back from agents in China as its main source of information about the PLA's latest movements.
The official said that under these conditions it was doubtful that the military could monitor the PLA as closely as it claimed.
US Department of Defense spokesman Terry Sutherland, speaking in Washington yesterday, also played down the reports, saying there were "no indications of unusual activity in the Taiwan Strait."
He noted that the US was monitoring the situation closely, but there was nothing out of the ordinary to report. Other US officials, however, appear to have become more conservative in judging the cross-strait situation.
Darryl Johnson, former AIT director in Taipei and the incoming Deputy Assistant Secretary of Pacific Asia of State Department, said it was too early to be optimistic.
Johnson noted that China has not yet responded positively to the recent election results, warning that people should carefully watch what kind of action China takes after May 20.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from