The government is studying the possibility of sending warships to protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the waters off Somalia, a high-ranking official at the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday.
MAC Deputy Minister Chao Chien-min (趙建民) said that national security agencies were assessing the feasibility, but he was not certain when the assessment would be complete.
Chao made the remarks in response to media inquiries on Beijing’s call that Taiwanese fishing boats apply for protection by Chinese warships.
PHOTO: CNA
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (秦剛) said on Tuesday that Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau are part of China and that people in all three places are Chinese. The Chinese government attaches great importance to the safety of overseas Chinese and there is no exception in the waters around Somalia, he said.
Chao yesterday said that many Taiwanese ships operate around the piracy-plagued Gulf of Aden. Many countries have sent their warships to ensure the safety of shipping in the area and, as far as he knew, 45 warships have been dispatch to the area, including three by the Chinese, Chao said.
As Taiwan and the US have long been cooperating on anti-terrorism projects, Chao said the administration had been in close contact with Washington as well as with the EU to ask for their assistance to help protect Taiwanese fishing boats in the area.
“Our main concern is safety of the boats and the people on board,” Chao said. “Based on humanitarian reasons, we would not reject any assistance immediately available to them.”
While Taiwanese fishing boats can file for protection from China through the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Chao said the administration had not yet authorized the SEF to take up such a task.
When asked whether potential applicants would violate any law by filing for protection directly with the Chinese government, Chao said it would “run against due procedure” as they must do so via the SEF and that he believed such a scenario would not happen.
About 100 ships, including several Chinese vessels, have been attacked by Somali pirates since the beginning of last year.
China warned Somali pirates last month it was prepared to use force to combat rampant piracy that has disrupted international shipping routes heading to and from the Suez Canal. A fleet of Chinese warships arrived in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in other news, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday vowed to pursue cross-strait relations under the framework of the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, saying that he would not discuss unification nor support independence or approve the use of the military.
Ma said such an approach complies with public opinion. As both sides of the Taiwan Strait are willing to improve bilateral relations, Ma said it would be mutually beneficial for both sides to maintain peace and pursue prosperity.
Ma made the remarks while receiving members of the US-based Hip Sing Association at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
The 1994 Handbook of Organized Crime in the United States by Robert J. Kelly, Chin Ko-lin and Rufus Schatzberg says the Hip Sing was established as a benevolent association, as “a protective society for laborers and seamen” they also “functioned as operators of opium, prostitution and gambling dens.”
“Current [1994] concern at the federal level indicates a preoccupation with the tongs’ role in heroin smuggling,” the handbook says.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
NO SHAME IN RETREAT: Hikers should consider turning back if the weather turns bad or if they do not have sufficient equipment, the Taroko park headquarters said Two people died of hypothermia over the weekend while hiking on Hsuehshan (雪山), prompting park authorities to remind hikers to bring proper equipment and consider their physical condition before setting out in the cold weather. Temperatures dropped over the weekend, bringing snow to high altitudes in Shei-pa National Park. One hiker, surnamed Lin (林), who on Friday was traveling with a group of six along the Hsuehshan west ridge trail, lost consciousness due to hypothermia and died, the Shei-pa National Park Headquarters said. On Saturday, another hiker, surnamed Tien (田), in a group of five on the southeast of the west
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