A media report citing leaked US intelligence documents as saying that China would probably gain air superiority quickly if it were to attack Taiwan was not true, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday.
The Washington Post reported that classified documents, allegedly leaked by a US Air National Guard member, showed that the leadership of the Taiwanese military doubts that its air defense systems can “accurately detect missile launches,” while only about half of its aircraft are capable of effectively engaging the enemy.
The report said Taiwan fears it could take up to a week to move its aircraft to shelters, leaving them vulnerable to Chinese missile strikes.
Photo: Jameson Wu, AFP
China’s use of civilian ships, including passenger ferries, for military purposes has hampered the US intelligence community’s ability to detect preparations for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the Washington Post said.
The report said the US Department of Defense had criticized Taiwan’s missile drills as too highly scripted, potentially leaving its armed forces and their leadership unprepared for a “real-world event.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has undertaken a huge overhaul of the Chinese military to expand and modernize it. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army is estimated to be 14 times the size of Taiwan’s armed forces.
The Washington Post quoted the MND as saying that the armed forces are confident that they can defend Taiwan.
Taiwan’s response to Chinese drills around the nation in the past few days showed that its military is “absolutely capable, determined and confident” about its capabilities, the report cited the ministry as saying.
The ministry yesterday said in a statement that the content of the report was not true.
Taiwanese military drills have simulated all possible scenarios of Chinese communist forces attacking the nation, the ministry said.
Taiwan had made “appropriate modification on combat plans” as it continues to enhance military preparedness to bolster its defense capabilities, the ministry said.
Last week, Taiwan staged large-scale emergency response drills enacting a wide array of scenarios, including enemy attacks using missiles and chemical weapons.
The drills were held days after China conducted military exercises around Taiwan, with part of them held as close as 160km off Taiwan’s coast.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS