China’s “united front” tactics targeting Taiwan’s outlying islands bear a resemblance to the Russian infiltration of Crimea before Moscow’s 2014 invasion of the territory, Taiwan’s top national security official said yesterday.
National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) made the remark in response to questions from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Mei-ling (羅美玲) at the Legislative Yuan.
Lo drew parallels between Moscow’s justification of its 2022 invasion as “de-Nazifying” Ukraine and Chinese Nationalist Party Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) comparison of President William La (賴清德) to Adolf Hitler.
Photo: Wang Teng-yi, Taipei Times
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pledged cooperation in fighting neo-Nazism in their meeting earlier this month, she said, before asking if Beijing is shaping a narrative to legitimize an invasion of Taiwan.
Tsai said the bureau is studying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to identify tactics Beijing might imitate in a military conflict with Taiwan.
Russia’s and Ukraine’s use of drones in the war is of particular interest to the bureau, he said.
The bureau is also observing whether Beijing would copy Russian political propaganda and cognitive warfare techniques, he added.
Describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as a Nazi leader has been a staple in Moscow’s political strategy to justify the war, Tsai said.
The NSB identified a push by Moscow to intensify the economic, cultural and ethnic integration of Ukraine and occupied Crimea shortly before the war, a tactic that resembled China’s strategy targeting Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, he said.
Regarding a rise in illegal border crossings by Chinese nationals, Tsai said investigators have not ruled out the possibility that some of the cases were part of Beijing-directed espionage.
An economic motive could explain other cases involving impoverished Chinese nationals, he said.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS