The US has agreed to "conditionally" share its military satellite data with Taiwan, it was reported yesterday.
Once linked to the US satellite system codenamed "Defense Support Project" (DSP), Taiwan would be able to allow up to seven more minutes in advance while its Patriot anti-missile weaponry prepared to intercept any incoming missiles, a local Chinese-language newspaper said.
It said the Taiwan military plans to set up ground stations over the next five years to plug Taiwan Patriot systems to the US military satellite system.
The Taiwan defense ministry was tight-lipped on the reported military cooperative project, a move Beijing may interpret as a further step towards a military alliance between the US and Taiwan which it regards as part of its territory.
But Minister of National Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) told the legislature yesterday "it would be his pleasure to see the development," without providing details.
Washington is Taiwan's leading arms supplier.
In July, the Pentagon made public a report in which the US questioned China's commitment to a peaceful resolution of its differences with Taiwan.
The report broke new ground by emphasizing that China was exploring strategies that would use missile strikes, blockades and even cyberwarfare, rather than a D-Day-style invasion, to bring Taiwan to heel.
It said the People's Liberation Army has deployed 350 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan, with the number expected to increase at a rate of 50 a year.
Last year, US President George W. Bush caused a furor in China by saying that the US would do whatever it takes to defend Taiwan.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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