The growth of China’s military capabilities is specifically oriented toward countering the US’ ability to assist in the defense of Taiwan, a new Heritage Foundation report says.
“China’s ability to execute a military action against Taiwan, albeit at high economic and political cost, is improving,” the 2016 Index of US Military Strength said, which was published on Wednesday.
According to the annual Index, two of the US’ four military branches have declined over the past year and the others were rated only “marginal” in their ability to protect US interests.
It said that growing US weakness, coupled with increasing strength and aggressiveness from North Korea, Russia and China “make for a growing and dangerous instability in regions throughout the world.”
“Threats against American interests are stronger and more numerous that a year ago,” senior Index editor Dakota Wood said.
“Key regions are more unstable and our military capabilities have weakened further. These are very disturbing trends,” Wood said.
The Index says that China’s long-standing threat to end de facto independence in Taiwan — if necessary by force — is both a threat to a major US security partner and a threat to peace and stability in the western Pacific.
China continues to employ political warfare against the Taiwan’s political and military leadership, the Index said.
“For the Chinese leadership, the failure to effect unification, whether peacefully or through the use of force, would reflect fundamental political weakness,” the Index said.
“There is no realistic means by which any Chinese leadership can back away from the stance of having to unify the island with the mainland,” it said.
As a result, Taiwan remains an essential part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) new historic mission, shaping acquisitions and military planning.
The Index said that Beijing’s anti-access area-denial strategy is aimed largely at forestalling US intervention in support of Taiwan.
By holding at risk key US platforms — particularly aircraft carriers — Beijing seeks to delay or even deter US intervention in support of Taiwan allowing China to achieve a fait accompli.
The Index said the Chinese threat to Taiwan is “never off the table.”
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS