Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials held a series of meetings this week in Washington to discuss national security issues with US academics, politicians and members of US President Barack Obama’s administration.
For reasons of political sensitivity and protocol, they were unable to give details of the discussions or even identify the individuals involved.
DPP Representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said the meetings were “useful and productive” and helped to inform the party on defense issues.
He revealed that in some meetings, the delegation was told that Taiwan needed to improve its land-based air defense capabilities and give greater consideration to underwater mines as a cost-effective way of defending the nation.
Remote, unmanned watercraft were also discussed.
“The US side was very impressed and happy to see the DPP taking defense policies so seriously and putting so much effort into them,” Wu said.
Wu and DPP Department of International Affairs Director Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠) have also been to New York and are to visit Los Angeles and Houston later this month.
This summer, Wu plans to visit Taiwanese communities in Canada.
Earlier this week, the DPP released the fifth in a series of defense policy blue papers on the military threat posed by China and it was this latest paper that formed the focus of the meetings.
Wu told a press conference that the meetings had been particularly significant at a time when President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) approach to defense was “increasingly weak.”
The DPP delegation was asked about a paper published last month by the prominent University of Chicago political scientist John Mearsheimer entitled Goodbye to Taiwan.
The paper — reported last month in the Taipei Times — argues that it may be just a matter of time before China takes over Taiwan.
Liu said the bottom line was that Taiwan could not depend on any outside assistance.
He said the way that the Ma government was approaching cross-strait policies and its pursuit of a “historical breakthrough” could lead to actions that undermine the nation’s long-term defense.
“The result of that situation is that the US may not say goodbye to Taiwan, but Taiwan may say goodbye to the US,” Liu said.
He said that Ma’s budget decisions had made it very difficult for him to convince the US that the president was serious about national defense.
Wu said that by demonstrating the DPP’s commitment to national security and defense, the delegation was able to help raise the US’ confidence “in the context of this defeatism.”
He said that feedback on the DPP blue paper had been very positive.
“Even though we are in opposition, we have been shown there is plenty of room and space for us to engage on these issues,” Wu said.
He said that Taiwan needed diesel submarines, and with the US no longer making those vessels, Taipei may have to produce them indigenously.
“The consensus is that Taiwan has the capability to produce submarine hulls,” Wu said. “It is doable.”
Wu said that several US experts agreed with the DPP delegation that it would be less sensitive “and therefore more plausible” for Washington to sell Taiwan submarine components — for example navigation or weapons systems — than it would be for Washington to sell a major weapons platform.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
RSS