The Ministry of National Defense (MND) has denied that Chinese warplanes breached the airspace of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the disputed South China Sea.
The clarification was made late on Sunday after several media outlets reported an incursion into the territorial space of the Pratas Islands by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on Saturday.
The reports cited information released by a privately run Facebook page that regularly records the PLA’s incursions into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).
Photo provided by the Water Resources via CNA
According to an alleged transcript of a radio warning that the air force issued to the Chinese aircraft, an unnamed Taiwanese pilot told an unidentified PLA warplane: “You have entered our territorial airspace,” asking the aircraft to leave immediately.
The transcript was posted on a Facebook page titled “Taiwan’s Southwestern Airspace,” without an explanation of how the transcript was obtained.
It only said that the radio warning was issued when a number of PLA aircraft were spotted near the airspace of the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands.
However, the ministry dismissed the reports.
A chart of the flight routes released by the ministry showed that five PLA warplanes — three J-16 jets, one J-11 jet and one Y-8 tactical aircraft — flew into the ADIZ between Taiwan proper and the Pratas Islands on Saturday.
However, the chart showed that none of the Chinese aircraft intruded into the islands’ territorial airspace.
Without directly confirming or refuting the authenticity of the transcript on Facebook, the ministry said that “such a radio warning was issued as a ‘precautionary approach,’” without elaborating.
The ministry said that it has a “full grasp” on Chinese military maneuvers near waters and airspace surrounding Taiwan, and would take “appropriate responsive measures.”
ADIZs are areas declared by a country to allow it to identify, locate and control approaching foreign aircraft, but such zones are not considered territorial airspace.
A country’s territorial airspace extends 12 nautical miles (22km) from its coastline. Countries have the right to destroy a hostile aircraft that enters its territorial airspace without permission.
The Pratas Islands, which are almost 450km southwest of Kaohsiung, are one of two territories controlled by Taiwan in the South China Sea. The other is Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島), which is about 1,500km southwest of Kaohsiung. Marine Corps-trained coast guard personnel are stationed on both territories.
However, the Ministry of National Defense last year said that it would temporarily post military personnel on the Pratas Islands in reaction to reports that the Chinese military was planning to conduct drills in the area.
The ministry did not elaborate on the number of troops it would deploy, their planned arrival date or how long they would stay.
Taiwan, Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam all claim part of the South China Sea as their territory.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
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
RSS