China yesterday accused the US of playing a dangerous game with its support for Taiwan, after a US warship passed through Taiwan Strait.
China has been angered by the administration of US President Donald Trump stepping up support for the nation, such as through more arms sales, US patrols near Taiwan and last month’s visit to Washington by former premier and vice president-elect William Lai (賴清德).
US Seventh Fleet spokesman Lieutenant Anthony Junco said the guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell conducted “a routine Taiwan Strait transit” on Wednesday, in line with international law.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he said. “The US Navy will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows.”
The Ministry of National Defense said the ship sailed north through the waterway and was monitored by Taiwan’s armed forces, on what it called a “regular transit,” adding that there was no cause for alarm.
“The Republic of China armed forces fully monitors the movement of ships and aircraft around our airspace and waters. No irregularities have been noticed,” a statement from the ministry said.
Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesman Ren Guoqiang (任國強) yesterday denounced “continued negative actions” by the US on Taiwan, including sailings through and flights over the Strait.
“US moves have seriously interfered in China’s internal affairs, severely harmed peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and poisoned Sino-US military ties,” Ren told a monthly news conference.
The actions were “extremely dangerous,” he added.
On Feb. 9 and Feb. 10, Chinese H-6 bombers and escort aircraft flew south of Taiwan into the Western Pacific, briefly crossing the Taiwan Strait median line, prompting Taiwan’s military to scramble fighters to intercept and warn away the Chinese aircraft.
On Monday last week, China conducted a night flight training mission southwest of Taiwan, and briefly approached the nation’s air defense identification zone.
Taiwan has called the drills provocative, and urged China to pay more attention to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than menace it.
A chart posted on Twitter by Aircraft Spots, a military air movement tracker, showed a US Navy EP-3E aircraft operating in the South China Sea near Taiwan on Wednesday.
In January, another US warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait less than a week after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won re-election by a landslide on a platform of standing up to China.
Tsai on Tuesday visited a military base and again warned of the threat from China during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Everyone knows that although at present there is an intense epidemic situation, the Chinese communists’ military aircraft continue to harass Taiwan,” she said. “Their threat to Taiwan and regional security has not gone down.”
Additional reporting by staff writer and CNA
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS