China’s newest aircraft carrier, the Shandong, crossed the Bashi Channel with its fleet and continued southward, the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Joint Staff Office said yesterday.
From April 7 to Monday, 620 fighter jets and helicopters were launched from the carrier, 10 more than the office had reported on Monday.
However, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said that it had not detected any military jets in Taiwan’s eastern or southeastern air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from 6am on Monday to 6am yesterday, adding that the additional jets must have operated outside Taiwan’s ADIZ.
Photo courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Joint Staff Office
As it usually does when Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft or ships operate in Taiwan’s vicinity, the MND launched air and naval patrols while using radar detection systems, it said.
Based on information from its joint intelligence and surveillance system, the MND on Monday said the fleet was spotted in the Western Pacific and was likely to continue sailing southeast of Taiwan.
The Shandong was part of military exercises launched by the PLA around Taiwan on April 8, one day after President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) returned from a 10-day overseas trip that included a meeting with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in California.
The Shandong is being escorted by six ships: two Type 052D guided-missile destroyers, a Type 055 stealth guided-missile destroyer, two Type 054A guided-missile frigates and a Type 901 fast combat support ship.
Local reports said that Taiwan’s military on Monday mobilized forces on the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島), in the nation’s south, as a precaution after Shenyang J-15 fighters were spotted entering the southeastern corner of Taiwan’s ADIZ.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan