Senior naval officials hinted earlier this week that the new-generation Tuo Jiang-class corvette (沱江艦) could be dispatched to beef up security measures around the disputed Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島) in the South China Sea if the need arises.
Responding to enquiries from legislators, Navy Chief of Staff Hsiao Wei-min (蕭維民) said the recently commissioned Tuo Jiang stealth missile corvette would able to reach Taiwan’s military outpost on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) within one day.
Taiping, spanning 46 hectares, is the largest island in the Spratlys, and has permanent troops from Coast Guard Administration units stationed there.
The island lies about 1,600km away from Greater Kaohsiung and features military facilities, artillery and other weapons, along with a radar station, air landing strip and electricity power generators on the island.
Hsiao, along with Minister of National Defense Yen Ming (嚴明) replied to legislative committee enquiries by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) and Lin fu-fang (林郁方) earlier this week.
Chiang said Vietnam has deployed new shoulder-fired missiles and advanced weapons on a nearby islet to Taiping Island.
“We must flex our firepower muscle there to deter such threats. Therefore, I request the military to station one or two Tuo Jiang corvettes at the Taiping base on a long-term basis,” Chiang said.
Lin called on the navy to bolster the corvette’s firepower by outfitting up to five surface-to-surface Hsiung Feng 2E missiles to its arsenal, which is a tactical, land-attacking cruise missile system.
“Outfitting the Tuo Jiang corvette with Hsiung Feng 2E missiles, to go with its existing 16 anti-ship missiles would upgrade its attacking power, and make it an effective deterrent to enemy forces,” Lin said.
Yen said the military currently has no plan to deploy the Tuo Jiang corvette to the nation’s islands in the South China Sea.
He said that official policy now is geared toward humanitarian relief and international assistance, so that Taiwan can be recognized as a “peacemaker” in the South China Sea, and not a “troublemaker” in the region.
However, Yen implied preparations were being made for possible conflicts, as he confirmed the current construction of a new pier and expanded airstrip on Taiping Island would enable the troops stationed there to adapt to military contingencies.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS