The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday denied reports that a joint military drill was held with the US off the coast of Hualien County, saying that the activity that took place was part of regular exercises to familiarize new vessels with sea conditions around Taiwan.
The Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) reported that sources said a joint exercise with the US was carried out yesterday morning 28 nautical miles (52km) off Hualien.
If there had been a drill, it would have been the first since the two nations on March 25 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a joint coast guard working group.
Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei Times
Involved in the exercise were the 4,000-tonne Chiayi (嘉義) heavy patrol vessel, the 1,000-tonne Taitung (台東) patrol vessel, the 600-tonne Chengkung (成功) medium patrol vessel and a 100-tonne coast guard vessel, the Liberty Times reported.
The ships arrived in Hualien on Monday for exercises starting at 8am the next day, it said, adding that the US vessels did not send out signals or disclose the number or type of ships participating.
The paper reported that a CGA official confirmed there was a joint exercise with the US, but refused to comment further as the matter involves sensitive information.
The two sides preferred to maintain a low profile, as it was their first joint exercise, carried out ostensibly for rescue and counterterrorism purposes, the paper said.
However, the CGA in a statement yesterday afternoon denied that the vessels were dispatched to conduct a joint exercise with the US.
New vessels are regularly sent on training missions to familiarize the crew with sea conditions and routes around Taiwan, it said.
As for the MOU, its main goal is to create a platform for dialogue and cooperation between the Taiwanese and US coast guards regarding the protection of marine resources; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; search and rescue missions; and maritime environmental response, it said.
The agency added that it does not rule out interactive cooperation, which would only be disclosed with consent from both parties.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
Temperatures in some parts of Taiwan are expected to fall sharply to lows of 15°C later this week as seasonal northeasterly winds strengthen, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. It is to be the strongest cold wave to affect northern Taiwan this autumn, while Chiayi County in the southwest and some parts of central Taiwan are likely to also see lower temperatures due to radiational cooling, which occurs under conditions of clear skies, light winds and dry weather, the CWA said. Across Taiwan, temperatures are to fall gradually this week, dropping to 15°C to 16°C in the early hours of Wednesday
RSS