Top cross-strait policymakers at the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday warned that inadvertent military conflict across the Taiwan Strait was a real threat given present circumstances, qualifying President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) vow on Wednesday that no war would break out during his term in office.
"A military skirmish is not the same as war. Saying that the threat of inadvertent military conflict exists is therefore not a contradiction of Chen's announcement yester-day," council chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said during an interpellation session at the Legislative Yuan.
PHOTO: SUNG CHIH-HSIUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
"The possibility of accidental conflict does exist, and as such, cross-strait negotiations should be resumed as soon as possible to work out military confidence-building measures that are necessary to ensuring peace across the Taiwan Strait," Wu said.
He pointed to the mid-air collision of a Chinese F-8 fighter pilot and a US Navy surveillance aircraft over the South China Sea in April 2001 as an example of a possible accidental conflict.
"It is the council's duty to prevent such skirmishes from occurring," Wu said.
He had previously pointed to the rejection of first-strike attacks by both sides, mutual notification of planned military drills, transparency of deployment plans, the establishment of a hotline and demilitarized zones as examples of confidence building measures needed across the Strait.
Wu said Chen's vow highlighted that the administra-tion's policy direction was toward peace.
"Ensuring peace is our policy. What we are trying to do is to frame this peace in a structural framework," Wu said in response to a question from People First Party (PFP) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華).
Wu dismissed accusations that the arms procurement bill or Chen's plans for constitutional reform invalidated Chen's vow to stave off war during his term.
"The arms purchase will not increase tension across the Strait because China is procuring arms more quickly than we are. It would be providing incentive for attack if we allowed China to believe Taiwan can be easily defeated," Wu said in answer to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Pin-kun's (
Wu also said that if Taiwan were to authorize a representative to negotiate with Beijing about details for cross-strait chartered flights for the Lunar New Year, the council would not hand the job to legislators because this would neutralize the legislature's ability to act as the Cabinet's watchdog.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS