Taiwan’s military capabilities are inferior to those of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in almost all regards, the Ministry of National Defense said in a report yesterday.
The legislature requested the report after the military sought a special budget to increase combat capabilities across the armed forces.
The PLA, in general, has superior firepower among its ground forces, better naval surface coverage and better airborne electronic warfare capabilities, the report said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
The advantage in terms of air control capability leans toward the PLA Air Force, while the PLA Navy’s submarine forces far outstrip that of Taiwan’s navy, it said.
The PLA has better ship and plane-building capabilities, and manufactures more of its own equipment and arms, the report said.
The Chinese navy is equipped with China’s latest version of its Russian-built radars, which can detect objects up to 180km away, while the range of China’s ship-borne missiles have increased to 250km from 130km, the report said.
China’s J-20 jets have a greater missile range of 120km, compared to the 112km range of such ordinances in Taiwan, it said.
The ministry’s counter to the Chinese military threat is to create a force with “immediate combat capability,” meaning continued deployment of stratified missile defense systems, it said.
This would increase Taiwan’s overall anti-air and anti-surface capabilities, allowing rapid deployment of combat-ready troops and ramping up overall combat capabilities, the ministry said.
Security collaborations with the US are based on the US’ Taiwan Relations and Taiwan Assurance acts, and the “six assurances,” the report said.
Together, Taiwan and the US jointly maintain the security of the Taiwan Strait, and the peace and stability of the region, it said, adding that while Taiwan has no official diplomatic ties with Japan, Tokyo has reiterated the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.
The ministry would continue to expand Taiwan-Japan defense collaborations based on the principle of active participation, improving ties and upholding national defense, it said.
TYPHOON: The storm’s path indicates a high possibility of Krathon making landfall in Pingtung County, depending on when the storm turns north, the CWA said Typhoon Krathon is strengthening and is more likely to make landfall in Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said in a forecast released yesterday afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the CWA’s updated sea warning for Krathon showed that the storm was about 430km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point. It was moving in west-northwest at 9kph, with maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts of up to 155kph, CWA data showed. Krathon is expected to move further west before turning north tomorrow, CWA forecaster Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said. The CWA’s latest forecast and other countries’ projections of the storm’s path indicate a higher
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
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