The military has not seen any indication that the US plans to stage a drill in the South China Sea in the near future, as has been suggested by CNN, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday.
Fielding questions from legislators during a hearing, Yen said the nation’s armed forces have closely monitored the regional situation, but have not seen anything to suggest that the US could soon hold an exercise in the disputed waters.
CNN on Oct. 4 reported that the US was planning to conduct freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea later this month, with a proposal being circulated calling for several missions to take place.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) asked if the movement of a US aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait was related to that.
He said the USS John C. Stennis was yesterday sailing toward the US Seventh Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan, and asked Yen if it would be joining another aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, for a drill in the South China Sea.
The US does not inform Taiwan of its upcoming military deployments in advance, Yen said, adding that Taiwan’s military has not seen anything to suggest that a military exercise would take place.
Taiwan’s military fully respects the freedom of navigation principles being defended by the US, he added.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
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