Ongoing talks with Google Inc are being carried out to handle Google Earth imagery potentially leaking military secrets, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday.
Four three-pronged structures were visible on the northwestern coast of Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) after the imagery was updated in July, but the ministry and the Coast Guard Administration have not commented on their nature.
Previous Google Earth images showed that the structures were not there in January last year.
Photo: screengrab from Google Earth
The coast guard, which is in charge of Itu Aba, said that all structures and facilities on the island are classified and their functions could not be made known.
Satellite images on Google Earth show four structures on a claw-shaped base, with two of the four above the tideline, while all four structures have a dome-shaped object atop them.
A source said that as a new harbor on Itu Aba was completed at the end of last year, it was possible that the ministry supervised construction of the structures and forbade coast guard personnel from entering the area.
The structures are much larger than artillery bases that have been removed from the island, the source said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) took photographs of the structures during a visit to the island in July, which showed they stood at least two stories high and were evidently not a giant surf break.
Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi (陳中吉) yesterday said that the facilities were classified and the ministry would not comment on the issue.
Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) said that while facilities and their functions on Itu Aba are classified, the public should rest assured that the island has strong defenses.
Coast Guard Director-General Lee Chung-wei (李仲威) said that details about the facility were classified and the administration had notified Google of the issue after KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) asked Premier Lin Chuan (林全) whether the imagery on Google Earth could be used to discern what functions the facility had.
Netizens criticized the ministry and the coast guard’s reluctance to speak on the issue and said there are hundreds of satellites that could evidently see the structures, while others claiming to be “military experts” said the structures resembled anti-air gun turrets.
In other developments, the ministry denied reports that the Yun Feng missile program, a mid-range cruise missile developed by the state-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, had been terminated by the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
The “Cloud Peak” missile program was said to be capable of hitting Beijing and Shanghai, with a range of more than 1,000km.
When asked whether the Tsai administration would terminate weapon systems capable of cross-strait strikes, Chen said that the ministry would outline its plans in January next year after it finalizes its strategic planning.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or