A US Lockheed P-3C Orion reconnaissance aircraft yesterday flew over the Bashi Channel toward the South China Sea, marking the 12th time this month that a US military aircraft was spotted to the south of Taiwan’s airspace.
The airplane’s presence was reported by military aviation monitoring Web site Aircraft Spots.
The same aircraft on Saturday last week flew in a similar southwesterly direction over the channel, the Web site said.
The US has used Boeing RC-135U and RC-135W, as well as Lockheed EP-3E and P-3C reconnaissance aircraft, in its flybys this month.
RC-135U aircraft were sighted on April 8 and 10, while EP-3E aircraft were sighted on April 11 and 12.
An RC-135W was sighted on Monday last week along with a P-3C Orion, while another P-3C Orion was spotted on Tuesday last week.
RC-135W aircraft were sighted on Wednesday and Friday last week, a P-3C on Saturday last week and an EP-3E on Tuesday.
Yesterday’s flyby followed the passage of the Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry through the Taiwan Strait on Thursday.
The Barry had transited the Strait on April 10, also from the north to south, according to the Ministry of National Defense and the US Seventh Fleet.
The ministry also said that it had been monitoring the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning, which on Wednesday transited eastward through the Bashi Strait to the south of Taiwan after conducting training exercises in the South China Sea.
Separately on Friday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reasserted Taiwan’s sovereignty over South China Sea islands and called on neighboring countries to exercise restraint, as China boosts its administrative and military establishment in the disputed area.
China on Saturday last week announced the establishment of Xisha and Nansha districts as part of Sansha City, Hainan Province.
The two districts would exercise jurisdiction over the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島), the Macclesfield Bank (Zhongsha Islands, 中沙群島), the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) and their surrounding waters, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs said.
The Chinese ministry the next day released guidelines over standard nomenclature and coordinates of 25 islets and reefs, as well as 55 undersea geographical features in the South China Sea.
Vietnam on Monday protested China’s establishment of the districts, while reaffirming its own sovereignty over the Paracel and Spratly archipelagos.
The foreign ministry in a news release on Friday expressed its concern over some countries’ unilateral and arbitrary claims over the area, as well as related actions.
It is beyond dispute that Taiwan is entitled to all rights over the South China Sea islands and their surrounding waters in accordance with international law and the law of the sea, it said.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
RSS