A recent US invitation for China to observe its military drill in Guam may have an adverse impact on Taiwan-US military exchanges in the long term, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday.
The council was referring to an invitation extended to China by US Pacific Commander Admiral William Fallon to send officers to observe the US military exercise -- codenamed "Operation Brave Shield" -- which was held from June 17 to 19.
To the surprise of some pundits, Chinese Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan (
In its report this month on the latest developments in China, MAC said the engagement had not only caused a US-China strategic race in the Asia-Pacific but also created room for China to affect US-Taiwan military exchanges.
The event was also seen by major international news media as the most positive sign of improvement in US-China military relations since the spy plane standoff over the South China Sea in 2001, the MAC report said.
According to the report, the US invitation had at least three strategic purposes -- expanding bilateral military exchanges, hoping to secure a subsequent invitation from China to observe Chinese military exercises and gauging each other's military strength through the exchanges.
Most China watchers analyzed the US invitation from the perspective of strategic competition between Beijing and Washington.
On the surface, they said, the US appeared to favor avoiding conflict with China by enhancing mutual trust through military exchanges.
In reality, they said, the US intended to get a direct look at China's military prowess and strategic goals, which they said may contribute to the US' evaluation of its East Asia military restructuring plan and its global strategic goals.
While the US motives were understandable, the MAC report said, China's acceptance of the US invitation came as a surprise.
Beijing was fully aware that the US was unlikely to aid China in its military modernization drive. What the US was concerned about was the "management" rather than "cooperation" aspect of their security relations, the report said.
According to the MAC's analysis, the most important reason behind China's consent to the US invitation lay in its hope that the US would eventually cease military engagements with Taiwan, including sales of advanced weapons.
In the past, the report said, the US had adopted a "parallel" strategy in dealing with military exchanges with Taiwan and China. Increased US-China military exchanges might allow China to tilt the balance, enabling China to have a hand in "manipulating" Taiwan-US military relations, the report said.
By all accounts, the report said, the US-China "date" at the Guam exercise marked an important milestone in their bilateral military relations, which was worthy of Taiwan's attention and that of other neighboring countries.
Meanwhile, Yang Chih-heng (楊志恆), a Tamkang University associate professor, said the presence of Chinese military officers aboard a US warship to observe a military drill indeed marked a significant breakthrough in US-China ties.
Noting that the main purpose of the US invitation was to forge mutual trust, Yang said he believed that such a move had an even deeper strategic implication by inspiring their respective political leaders to improve bilateral military relations.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
RSS