A Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesman said yesterday that an early acquisition of Kidd-class destroyers will help meet the Navy's needs to beef up its combat capabilities.
Major General Huang Suey-sheng (黃穗生) stressed at a news conference the navy's need to buy the four Kidd-class destroyers that the US has promised to sell to Taiwan, at a time when China's military prowess is increasingly outpacing Taiwan's.
With advanced missiles, superior air defenses, anti-submarine and battlefield management capabilities, the Kidd-class destroyers, with a 8,998-tonne displacement, will greatly beef up Taiwan's anti-submarine and combined service combat capabilities, Huang noted.
Huang stressed, however, that the navy's long-term pursuit of US-made Arleigh Burke-class destroyers remains unchanged in light of China's military buildup and Navy's long-term preparedness needs.
On Thursday, DPP lawmakers forced, and won, a vote in the legislature's National Defense Committee on the navy's 2003 budget to buy four Kidd-class destroyers from the US.
The development reversed the result of a joint meeting of the defense and budget committees on Wednesday, which concluded that the Kidds' budget should be decided by vote on the floor of the legislature.
Meanwhile, Rear Admiral Yeh Chu (
In addition to chasing the research vessel away, Taiwan also lodged a protest with Beijing through the intermediary body of the Straits Exchange Foundation and asked that similar intrusions do not happen again, Yeh said.
The Xiangyanghong No. 14, which belongs to China's State Oceanic Administration, was spotted in waters within the 22-km limit off Orchid Island at around 10:30am Sunday.
After being informed by fishermen operating near Orchid Island, coast guard authorities joined the navy in monitoring the vessel and later chased it away.
The Chinese vessel was not armed but was equipped with various antennas. Coast guard authorities said they suspect that the ship has repeatedly navigated close to Orchid Island not only to conduct oceanic research but also to intercept Taiwan's communications.
It was the third time that the Xiangyanghong No. 14 has been spotted within Taiwan's territorial waters.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost