Chinese military exercises near Taiwan are a “solemn warning to external forces,” Beijing said yesterday, after the new US government expressed strong support for Taiwan.
The US Department of State over the weekend said that US commitment to Taiwan was “rock-solid,” as Taiwan reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defense identification zone.
Taiwan issued warnings and deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the flyover, which on Saturday consisted of bombers, fighter jets and anti-submarine aircraft.
Photo: CNA
The department later a statement urging China “to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taiwan” following China’s sizeable show of force.
China then sent 16 military aircraft into the same area on Sunday, the Ministry of National Defense said.
Beijing yesterday defended the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) exercises as necessary to “safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
They “solemnly warn external forces to stop interference and sternly warn ... separatist forces to stop provocations,” said Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮), spokeswoman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
Zhu said that China reserves the option to “take all measures” to deal with interference, including the use of force.
Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 1979, but remains the nation’s most important unofficial ally and military backer.
Former US president Donald Trump embraced warmer ties with Taiwan as he feuded with China on issues like trade and national security.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has offered Taiwan cause for optimism for continued support aside from the “rock-solid” comment.
Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was formally invited to Biden’s inauguration, a precedent-setting first since 1979.
The department also called on China to engage in dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives.
Zhu yesterday said the “Taiwan issue” was the “most important and sensitive core issue in China-US relations.”
Additional reporting by AP, with staff writer
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
RSS