The US kept the military well-informed of the missile tests that China was to launch prior to the 1996 Taiwan Strait crisis, KMT Legislator Nelson Ku (
In the book Admiral Ku the Helmsman, Ku said that the missile tests did happen in March 1996, as the US had predicted.
"The information was provided to us in October 1995, during my visit to the US. The US predicted that China would launch some kind of military action to influence the [Taiwan's] presidential elections the following March. They said China was likely to launch a missile every two to three days into the Taiwan Strait and that such missile tests would last for quite some time," Ku wrote.
"The US asked us to take such military intimidation seriously. I reported the message to my superiors after returning to the country.
"The missile tests did happen in the lead-up to the presidential elections as predicted by the US," Ku wrote.
Ku commanded the navy between 1994 and 1997. He is the first of the military leaders who were in command during the crisis to make public the flow of information between the US before and during the crisis.
At a press conference held yesterday to mark the release of the book Ku gave more details.
"Because of the information provided by the US, the military had enough time to prepare for the missile tests," he said.
"We did not worry too much about the missile tests since we knew in advance that they were aimed at influencing our presidential elections. We did not think they would develop into a war," he said.
"The way in which the tests were conducted met our expectations. The only thing out of ours or China's expectations was that the tests did not scare people away from voting for [former president] Lee Teng-hui (
The Taiwan Strait Crisis led to greater trust between Taiwan and the US and some changes in the Sino-US relations, he said.
"The US does not want to see a war in the Taiwan Strait. They take it as their obligation to prevent Taiwan from suffering from any aggression," he said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their