A Chinese fighter jet briefly entered the nation’s airspace at about noon yesterday, the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force said in a news release.
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force Chengdu J-10 fighter was detected near the southwestern region of Taiwan’s airspace, and was immediately intercepted and escorted away following radio warnings, it said.
It was the seventh time this month that Chinese military aircraft have been spotted flying near Taiwan, following similar incidents on June 9 and 12, as well as once every day from Tuesday to Friday last week, the Ministry of National Defense said.
The Chengdu J-10 might be part of China’s deployment in the South China Sea or part of a contingent of PLA forces conducting combat training, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said.
If the latter is true, it could mean that the PLA is a greater threat than initially assumed, which would place more pressure on the nation’s defenses, he said.
Tsai, who has been a member of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee since 2016, said that if the jet is part of a deployment in the South China Sea, it could explain the large number of aircraft sightings near the nation’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the past few days.
However, whereas Chinese fighters used to take off from bases in southeast China before flying toward Taiwan, this year some of the aircraft took off from bases in central China, which has led to speculation that they might be taking part in combat training, he said.
Such a scenario would be a headache for the ministry, he added.
The ministry would continue to respond to aircraft entering Taiwan’s ADIZ the same way it has done in the past — by dispatching fighter jets to escort them away, he said, adding that failure to do so would put the nation at risk.
Tsai called on the government to increase the ROC Air Force’s budget and invest in facility improvements for aircraft maintenance, as well as to seek purchases of more advanced aircraft from the US.
Separately, the ministry said in a report that military action by the PLA against Taiwan remained a possibility, and could take the form of a blockade, missile attack or landing attempt on the nation’s outlying islands.
The PLA has in the past few years been bolstering its capabilities to act out such scenarios, it said.
The ministry plans to upgrade its Hsiung Feng anti-ship missile defense systems by 2023, it said.
Deputy Minister of National Defense Chang Che-ping (張哲平) has told lawmakers at the legislature that the ministry was mulling purchasing Harpoon anti-ship missiles from the US to boost its defense capabilities.
Such a procurement might happen as soon as 2023 if the US agrees to the sale, he said.
Institute of National Defense and Security Research senior analyst Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said Taiwan was keeping pace with its development and procurement of missile systems, and it retained air and naval superiority over China.
Under the current circumstances, the PLA would be unable to make a landing on Taiwan’s outlying islands, Su said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS