Taiwan condemns Russia for undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and calls for peaceful means to resolve the dispute, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Taipei “condemns Russia’s violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty,” Tsai wrote on Facebook shortly after she was briefed on the latest situation in Ukraine by a National Security Council task force.
The government calls on all sides to use peaceful means to resolve disputes, Tsai said, adding that Taiwan is willing to contribute to de-escalation efforts, although she did not elaborate on what those efforts might be.
Photo: Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday officially recognized Ukraine’s breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk regions as sovereign entities.
He also ordered Russian troops into the regions on a “peacekeeping” mission, drawing condemnation from Western governments and international organizations such as the UN and NATO.
The government would continue ensuring the security of Taiwan while keeping an eye on the situation in Ukraine, Tsai said.
Photo: AFP
National security officials and armed forces have been instructed to more closely monitor the situation across the Taiwan Strait and continue to refine their defense readiness, she said.
All government agencies must be on the alert for potential influence operations perpetrated by overseas powers and their local partners that might attempt to use the Ukraine crisis to sway public opinion in Taiwan, Tsai said.
They should step up efforts to clarify false information and prevent its spread, she added.
Tsai also asked the government to prepare for possible short and long-term effects the Ukraine crisis might have on the global and domestic economy, and devise plans to ensure the supply of strategic goods and stabilize commodity prices and the financial market.
On Tuesday, a national security official told the Central News Agency that the nation should be wary of “cognitive warfare” waged by China.
Beijing could use information about Ukraine to plant the idea in Taiwan that the US would not honor its commitment to ensure Taiwan’s security, the official said on condition of anonymity.
Apart from sowing division between Taiwan and the US, such efforts are designed to promote unification with China, the official said.
The situations in Taiwan and Ukraine are not comparable, and the US’ commitment to Taiwan’s security remains firm, the official said, adding that Taiwan occupies a strategic location in East Asia and plays a key role in global supply chains.
A senior Taiwanese official familiar with the government’s security planning told Reuters that the chances of a sudden uptick of military tension are “not high,” but that Taipei has been watching closely for any unusual Chinese activities.
The person pointed to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s joint military drills in areas between Taiwan’s northeast and near the Miyako Strait close to Japan’s southern islands, which have become more frequent in the past month or so.
In Beijing, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) yesterday said that Taipei, in concert with the West, was using Ukraine to “maliciously hype up” military threats and whip up anti-China sentiment.
One Western security official familiar with policy planning toward China said that Beijing was most likely looking at how the Ukraine situation developed in terms of sanctions on Russia.
“It’s probably seen as a laboratory by China, on what they might face in a Taiwan contingency,” the official said, referring to how Western countries might react to a Chinese attack on Taiwan.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old