Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday urged the Ministry of National Defense (MND) to re-evaluate how it chooses military instructors after retired captain Chang Ching (張競) repeatedly appeared in Chinese talk-shows commenting on cross-strait military matters.
So far this year, Chang, who is an instructor at the National Defense University, has appeared in the shows The Tactics (中國戰法) and Tigertalks (一虎一席談), hosted by Hong Kong-based Phoenix Television, a total of six times, and has appeared 10 times in a show broadcast by Xiamen-based Xiamen Star.
During the July 4 recording of The Tactics, Chang talked about the geological features in the waters around Penghu islands and said that Taiwan does not need to make a political fuss over Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning’s passage through the Taiwan Strait on its way to Hong Kong.
Chang said on Facebook that during the Jan. 5 recording of Tigertalks, he made positive remarks about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s performance in developing an aircraft carrier.
His professional suggestions on and criticism of Chinese warplanes flying past the first island chain were praised by retired Chinese military officials, Chang said, but added that the segments were later cut from the show.
DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said Chang’s frequent appearance on Chinese TV shows talking about military issues cast doubt on his job as an instructor at the university.
Chang’s freedom of speech should be respected, Wang said, but added that China is Taiwan’s only enemy.
“He is being friendly toward China while teaching classes to active military personnel [in Taiwan]. Would he not have a problem as to whether China is a friend or foe?” Wang asked.
Chang would be in an excellent position to sap and corrode military morale from within, as well as to recruit agents for the Chinese military, Wang said.
The ministry must consider what it wants to teach military officers and bear in mind that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is the sole enemy of Taiwan at this time, Wang said.
DPP Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said that if Chang had commented on international relations or tactics, he would not have violated any law, as it would be considered freedom of speech.
However, given that Chang accumulated his professional knowledge at the nation’s expense, his actions, while not illegal, are morally questionable, Tsai said.
Chang studied at the Republic of China Naval Academy, the US Naval Academy and obtained a masters and a doctorate at Hull University in England. Chang served as captain of the now-decommissioned LST-221 amphibious assault ship and retired from the military in 2010.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The military has spotted two Chinese warships operating in waters near Penghu County in the Taiwan Strait and sent its own naval and air forces to monitor the vessels, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. Beijing sends warships and warplanes into the waters and skies around Taiwan on an almost daily basis, drawing condemnation from Taipei. While the ministry offers daily updates on the locations of Chinese military aircraft, it only rarely gives details of where Chinese warships are operating, generally only when it detects aircraft carriers, as happened last week. A Chinese destroyer and a frigate entered waters to the southwest
RSS