Taiwan is on track to receive delivery of new armored fighting vehicles, jet trainers and improved barracks next year, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said.
Tsai made the comments in a directive issued following a presidential Cabinet briefing held at her office in Taipei on Tuesday, the Presidential Office said in a statement issued later that day.
The projected defense budget inclusive of funds and special reserves estimated at NT$606.8 billion (US$19.08 billion) — about 2.5 percent of GDP — would demonstrate the nation’s resolve to defend itself, Tsai was cited as saying.
Photo: AFP
The air force has so far received 17 Aerospace Industrial Development Corp T-5 Brave Eagle advanced jet trainers out of a total of 66 airframes ordered, meaning 25 percent have been delivered, she said, adding that eight more would be built before the end of this year.
Aerospace Industrial Development Corp plans to make 18 T-5 jets next year and the same number the year after that, and a final trio in 2026, a published schedule showed.
The plan to modernize the air force’s fleet of F-16A/Bs to F-16Vs would be completed by the end of the month, she said.
The first batch of the army’s M1A2T Abrams battle tanks would roll off the assembly line in the US by the end of the year and 683 eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles are to be delivered by the end of next year, Tsai said.
The army believes the Abrams would be a boon to combat capabilities as the US-made tanks are considered to be markedly superior to China’s T-99s, she said.
In addition, the indigenous defense and submarine program would complete the building of 91 vessels including ships and submarines this year, she added.
Ninety out of the military’s 103 barrack construction projects are scheduled to be completed next year, which would improve the standard of living for 60,000 service members, Tsai said, adding that the government plans to build a total of 222 structures in 103 projects.
Taiwan’s military capabilities must be strengthened to protect national security and interests, and inspire confidence in Taiwan’s friends, Tsai said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese