The increased frequency of Chinese military activity near or within Taiwan’s airspace over the past month is an attempt by Beijing to force the US into engaging in dialogue with it, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said yesterday.
You made the remarks while speaking with reporters ahead of a banquet held by the group Citizen’s Congress Watch.
Although repeated crossings into Taiwan’s airspace have caused public concern, China has made concessions in its territorial claims in the South China Sea, he said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“Therefore, barring a minor incident that gets out of hand, it seems unlikely that China would incite hostilities during the remainder of the year,” he said.
Over the past several months, China has shown restraint, and weakness, in the South China Sea, he said.
Citing comments by Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) during an interview on Aug. 5, You said Wang referred to the archipelagoes in the South China Sea as the “common homeland” of countries in the region.
Wang had expressed hope for a “rebooting of the South China Sea norms,” and a desire for it to become a “sea of hope, friendship and peace,” You said.
You said the statements appeared to be China shrinking back, and greatly reduced tensions in the South China Sea.
Wang’s statement was a radical departure from comments made by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Oct. 18 and Nov. 8, 2015, and July 16, 2016, when he publicly said that the South China Sea was Chinese territory “since ancient times,” You said.
“[The change in stance] is because on July 23 the US called on Chinese and people around the world to come together and change China,” You said. “The US took a strong posture, so Wang conceded.”
However, since the US did not directly engage China in dialogue since taking a tough stance on the South China Sea, Beijing hopes to force it into dialogue by ramping up pressure on Taiwan, he said.
A Chinese anti-submarine aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said, adding that Taiwan’s military responded by scrambling jets to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issuing radio warnings and mobilizing air defense systems.
It was the 17th incursion by Chinese military assets into airspace or waters near Taiwan since Sept. 16, a day before the ministry began regularly revealing Chinese military movements on its Web site, ministry data showed.
“Of course, Taiwan has to be self-reliant and well-prepared, but there is no need to be afraid whenever China talks tough. Every democracy in the world is experiencing China’s ‘wolf warrior diplomacy,’ and everyone is angry,” You said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
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