The government has staged a joint military-Coast Guard Administration (CGA) protection and rescue exercise in an area where China’s controversial air defense identification zone overlaps with those of Taiwan and Japan in the East China Sea.
The multipurpose drill on Monday last week was seen as an indication that Taiwan is pursuing its own national interests, despite China’s announcement in November last year of a new air defense identification zone that heightened tensions in the region.
The vessels and aircraft involved in the drill moved north toward the nation’s “provisional law enforcement boundary” 270 nautical miles (500km) off the northern tip of Taiwan.
They crossed the air defense identification zones of both China and Japan and moved toward China’s Chunxiao gas field, which is located within the enforcement boundary.
Two coast guard patrol vessels, the Hsin Bei and the Ho-shin, were joined by the navy’s Kang Ding frigate off Keelung and first headed toward Pengchia Islet, about 30 nautical miles away.
Once there, they conducted simulated firings of 20mm and 40mm guns.
They were then joined by an air force S-70C helicopter, which cooperated with the Hsin Bei in a drill simulating the rescue of people from the sea.
As the ships headed further north, they were joined by an S-2T marine patrol aircraft and two F-16 fighter jets, which flew over the Hsin Bei and Kang Ding at an altitude of 152m in an identification and communication drill.
When the vessels and the aircraft reached the northernmost line of the nation’s air defense identification zone, about 133 nautical miles north of Keelung, the Kang Ding and the Feng Yang — another navy frigate — remained to stand guard while the Hsin Bei and the Ho-shin continued north on a patrol mission to protect Taiwanese fishing boats operating nearby.
At 6am the next day, the two coast guard vessels were passing near the Chunxiao gas fields and approaching the 270 nautical mile boundary when they encountered a Japan Coast Guard patrol boat, the 1,000 tonne PL-120 Kurisaki.
There was a tense moment when the crew aboard the Japanese ship tried to observe the Ho-shin at a short distance, and the crew on the Ho-shin did the same to the Kurisaki, bringing the two vessels within 0.5 nautical miles of each other at 6:12am.
However, the Japan Coast Guard patrol boat then sailed off.
At 6:20am, the coast guard ships conducted a series of checks and patrols around wellheads in the Chunxiao gas field, drawing the attention of China’s Hai Yang Shi You 603 tug and supply ship.
The Chinese ship made radio contact with the Hsin Bei, which responded by explaining that the coast guard was carrying out its mission to protect its fishermen.
The Chinese tug did not try to gather information on the Hsin Bei, instead anchoring quite a distance away.
As the Taiwanese vessels began their voyage back to Taiwan on Tuesday last week, Japan sent several SH-60K choppers and P-3C surveillance aircraft to monitor the Hsin Bei and the Ho-shin at low altitude before flying away.
The two coast guard vessels were then escorted home by navy ships that had been on standby, returning to Keelung at 6am on Wednesday last week.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS