While the People's Liberation Army (PLA) does not have the capability to launch an attack against Taiwan now, it might have such a competence between 2020 and 2035 if the legislature fails to pass the arms procurement budget, Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
"While the combat capability ratio between China and Taiwan is 1.67 to 1, it is estimated that it will rise up to 2.8 to 1 between 2020 and 2035 without the deployment of the weaponry included in the arms procurement plan," Lee said, adding that the PLA will have full capability to initiate a military assault when the ratio reaches 3 to 1.
Lee made the remarks yesterday morning while delivering a report on the arms project to the legislature's National Defense Committee.
The Executive Yuan approved a revised version of the special arms bill on Tuesday that set a ceiling on the NT$480 billion (US$15.47 billion) budget. The original price tag was NT$610.8 billion.
The budget would pay for six Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air missile defense systems, 12 P-3C maritime patrol aircraft and eight diesel-powered submarines.
During the question-and-answer session, independent Legislator Li Ao (
"The US government is treating us like its watchdog," Li said, waving the leash and a book about Taiwan-US relations. "According to the Taiwan Relations Act, the US government must `provide' Taiwan with arms of a defensive character. Mind you, it does not say `sell.'"
He then proposed filing a lawsuit against the US government for failing to fulfill its promise.
Lee, however, dismissed Li's proposal as "unfeasible."
Li then yanked out a carving knife from his pocket and asked Lee to show his resolve to protect Taiwan.
"People First Party [PFP] Chairman James Soong (
"There are many ways to show your determination. Using this knife to cut off your balls is one of them," he said.
Such a dramatic gesture, Li said, would deliver a much more powerful message than just buying weapons.
While the lawmaker continued to urge Lee to accept his offer, the minister dismissed it as "irrelevant."
In related news, the PFP legislative caucus yesterday reiterated its opposition to the arms procurement plan, insisting that the budget be earmarked as a regular annual budget and reiterating that it is too expensive.
The director of the PFP caucus office, Chin Hui-chu (
"We opposed the NT$610.8 billion arms budget and we oppose the NT$480 billion budget," she said. "We find those figures unreasonable and unconvincing."
The budget should be earmarked as part of a regular annual budget and her caucus will ask the legislature's Procedure Committee to reject the inclusion of the special budget bill in its agenda on Tuesday.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus has planned to include the bill in the committee's agenda on Tuesday, hoping to push it through to committee review.
PFP Legislator Chao Liang-yen (
"However, we oppose earmarking the arms budget as a special budget to circumvent the Budget Law (
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS