Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday called on Taiwanese to increase travel to Japan and buy more of its products to help the country amid a wave of reprisals from China after it expressed support for Taiwan.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has repeatedly deployed economic and military coercion to bully countries, Lin said during a legislative session, referencing China’s retaliation against Japan for remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
On Nov. 7, Takaichi, in her first parliamentary address since taking office last month, said that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, which could trigger a military response from Tokyo.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
China said that the “blatantly provocative remarks on Taiwan” have “further damaged the atmosphere for people-to-people exchanges ... creating additional risks to the safety and security of Chinese citizens in Japan.”
China has since imposed a slew of measures aimed at Japan’s economy, including advisories against travel and study in Japan.
Taiwan has also been a victim of such coercion, as Beijing frequently weaponizes trade, investment and tourism to threaten Taipei, Lin said.
“That is uncivilized and undemocratic behavior,” he said. “Taiwan will support Japan at this critical time to effectively stabilize the situation and stop the CCP’s bullying.”
Asked how exactly Taiwan can help Japan, he said Taiwanese should to step up travel to Japan and buy more Japanese products to demonstrate Taiwan’s friendly relationship with Japan.
An NHK report on Wednesday cited Japanese government sources as saying that China has taken steps to suspend imports of marine products from Japan and has already informed Tokyo.
China said that the decision was taken to assess the monitoring of treated and diluted water from Japan’s damaged Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant, the report said.
However, the sources said that the decision is part of China’s response to Takaichi’s remarks about Taiwan, NHK reported.
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday also showed his support for Japan with a lunch of Japanese-sourced sushi.
Lai, in pictures posted on social media, posed with yellowtail from Kagoshima and scallops from Hokkaido.
Taiwan has in the past few years been subjected to similar food export bans by China, including pineapples and fish.
Additional reporting by Reuters
The Chien Feng IV (勁蜂, Mighty Hornet) loitering munition is on track to enter flight tests next month in connection with potential adoption by Taiwanese and US armed forces, a government source said yesterday. The kamikaze drone, which boasts a range of 1,000km, debuted at the Taipei Aerospace and Defense Technology Exhibition in September, the official said on condition of anonymity. The Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology and US-based Kratos Defense jointly developed the platform by leveraging the engine and airframe of the latter’s MQM-178 Firejet target drone, they said. The uncrewed aerial vehicle is designed to utilize an artificial intelligence computer
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday decided to shelve proposed legislation that would give elected officials full control over their stipends, saying it would wait for a consensus to be reached before acting. KMT Legislator Chen Yu-jen (陳玉珍) last week proposed amendments to the Organic Act of the Legislative Yuan (立法院組織法) and the Regulations on Allowances for Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Village Chiefs (地方民意代表費用支給及村里長事務補助費補助條例), which would give legislators and councilors the freedom to use their allowances without providing invoices for reimbursement. The proposal immediately drew criticism, amid reports that several legislators face possible charges of embezzling fees intended to pay
REQUIREMENTS: The US defense secretary must submit a Taiwan security assistance road map and an appraisal of Washington’s ability to respond to Indo-Pacific conflict The US Congress has released a new draft of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes up to US$1 billion in funding for Taiwan-related security cooperation next year. The version published on Sunday by US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson removed earlier language that would have invited Taiwan to participate in the US-led Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC). A statement on Johnson’s Web page said the NDAA “enhances U.S. defense initiatives in the Indo-Pacific to bolster Taiwan’s defense and support Indo-Pacific allies.” The bill would require the US secretary of defense to “enable fielding of uncrewed and anti-uncrewed systems capabilities”
Renewed border fighting between Thailand and Cambodia showed no signs of abating yesterday, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people in both countries living in strained conditions as more flooded into temporary shelters. Reporters on the Thai side of the border heard sounds of outgoing, indirect fire yesterday. About 400,000 people have been evacuated from affected areas in Thailand and about 700 schools closed while fighting was ongoing in four border provinces, said Thai Rear Admiral Surasant Kongsiri, a spokesman for the military. Cambodia evacuated more than 127,000 villagers and closed hundreds of schools, the Thai Ministry of Defense said. Thailand’s military announced that
RSS