Taiwan notched their third win at the Under-18 World Championship in Taipei yesterday — defeating Bulgaria 4-2 — a day after their encounter against China turned nasty seconds after the game finished 4-0 in favor of the visitors.
China lead Division III, undefeated through four games after their 12-0 dismantling of New Zealand yesterday, but they won no friends after China forward Wang Ziqiao (王梓喬) appeared to deliberately skate into a Taiwan player after the final siren in their game on Friday.
A melee resulted, with sticks scattered over the ice as players traded blows and bottles, and even a chair, were thrown into the rink.
Photo courtesy of Chantal Liao
Video footage showed China defenseman Cui Yunjie throwing the chair back over the glass into an area where spectators can walk.
As the referees struggled to regian control, some of the China team skated to mid-ice, where they unfurled a Chinese national flag and gesticulated toward the crowd until being ushered to the bench.
Reports said that the China players were furious with spectators for shouting at them to “go back to China.”
Photo courtesy of Chantal Liao
Taiwanese linesman Chantal Liao, who was not officiating, but was a photographer at the game, described the situation as a “vicious circle.”
China were angry about the spectators yelling, so they hit our [Taiwan] player, causing the spectators to yell more,” she said.
Wang and fellow China forward Wang Jing (王京) were penalized and suspended for one game for their roles in the fracas.
Photo courtesy of Chantal Liao
The game itself was a fractious affair, with 18 penalties shared between the two sides before the two after the siren.
China were on the receiving end, penalized 12 times in regulation time, including all six that were handed out in the second period, for throwing a stick or any object, delaying the game, boarding, misconduct and too many men on the ice.
Taiwan are second-equal among the six teams, adding wins over Turkey, 8-1 on Tuesday, and New Zealand, 3-2 on Wednesday, to yesterday’s result. Israel also have three wins after beating Turkey 6-2 yesterday, while Bulgaria have one and New Zealand none.
The final round of games is on tomorrow at the Taipei Annex Arena, with China to play Turkey in the first game, Bulgaria taking on New Zealand and Taiwan to play Israel in the last game, which is to begin at 8pm.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he