Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
Lee Jye yesterday arranged private visits to a few legislators in the south, including independent Legislator Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) to seek their support on the controversial arms purchase deal with the US.
"The minister said that the public consensus was that the price was too high. He offered a solution saying the budget could still be passed with the budget for submarine purchases left blank, for further negotiation with the US," Su said.
"The minister also proposed enabling China Shipbuilding Corp (中船) to participate in at least 30 percent of the submarine-building exercise with the help of the Ministry of Economic Affairs," Su said.
Huang also said that the minister said the price was still negotiable, although she contradicted Su by stating that the minister said that Taiwan did not have the technical capability to build its own submarines.
"The minister said that he got wind of information that the US is prepared to lower the price, and that the US is likely to sell the AEGIS defense system to Taiwan, although these things still need to be confirmed after Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) returns to Taiwan," Lee said.
Lee said that the minister said that building submarines locally would not be possible.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS