Deputy Defense Minister for Armament Affairs General Chen Chao-ming (陳肇敏) yesterday confirmed that the US military plans to send personnel to participate in this year's Hankuang No. 19, exercise but he denied that these personnel will be here mainly for the purpose of simulating evacuation of US citizens.
"It is not appropriate to categorize the US military personnel who are to come here for the Hankuang No. 19 exercise as an `evacuation team.' If we use the term, it might make people think that the US is preparing to abandon Taiwan," Chen said.
As to how the US military personnel are to be included in the Hankuang No. 19 exercise, Chen declined to comment.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"We are still working on it. It is too early to discuss the details," he said.
At the same time, Chen said he would like to see Taiwan's military have more chances to participate in joint exercises with other countries.
"We hope to see this day come. It is our vision for the future," he said.
Chen made the remarks yesterday at a meeting of the legislature's defense committee as part of his response to inquiries from lawmakers over a report by a Chinese language newspaper that the US military is to send an "evacuation team" to Taiwan to simulate evacuation of US citizens in the upcoming exercise.
Chen acknowledged that some US military personnel will participate in the exercise but he denied that they would be called an "evacuation team" and agreed with some lawmakers who called the term "evacuation team" insulting to Taiwan's people.
Chen declined to say how the US military team is to be involved in the exercise, which is scheduled to be held in either April or May.
Chen did not specify which countries the military wishes to hold joint exercises with, but the US is believed to be one of the choices.
"It is too early to discuss the issue. It is very sensitive," Chen said. "Nevertheless, we will try not to be isolated. We should have more contacts with armed forces from other countries."
Chen said this vision was likely to be realized in the years to come since the military has already started working in that direction.
The military plans to start in 2006 holding joint exercises with a friendly country. Before that, a lot of preparation's have to be made, including turning all combat manuals into bilingual versions with Chinese and English placed side by side.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS