A package of pamphlets bearing propaganda slogans was found on one of Taiwan’s islets, the army said yesterday, speculating that it had been dropped by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The flyers, which were in simplified Chinese, were found on Saturday by Taiwanese soldiers stationed on Kinmen County’s Erdan Island, the Kinmen Defense Command said in a news release.
The pamphlets were most likely dropped on Erdan during a two-day military drill by the PLA surrounding Taiwan, which concluded on Saturday, the army said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
The box of pamphlets was found on the pier on Erdan during a routine patrol by Taiwanese troops, the army command said.
It did not say what was printed on the flyers.
However, it said that it believed the propaganda pamphlets had been dropped on the islet by a drone and were part of the PLA’s cognitive warfare operations.
The command said it would continue to take appropriate measures to respond to such incursions, such as by protecting important military facilities to prevent confidential information leaks.
Taiwan and its frontline islands have been experiencing frequent drone incursions over the past few years amid rising cross-strait tensions.
The Kinmen islands are considered part of Taiwan’s front line, as they lie only about 10km west of Xiamen in China’s Fujian Province.
The PLA’s latest joint military drills were held on Thursday and Friday in areas surrounding Taiwan, three days after the inauguration of President William Lai (賴清德).
Beijing has expressed dissatisfaction over Lai’s inauguration address, which it said promoted Taiwanese independence.
The US plans to deploy thousands of drones in the Taiwan Strait in an operation called “Hellscape” to ensure that any attempt by China to invade Taiwan does not succeed, US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo told the Washington Post. In an article published on Monday, columnist Josh Rogin quoted Paparo as saying from the sidelines of the recent Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum in Singapore that the “Hellscape” strategy would involve deploying thousands of uncrewed submarines, surface vessels and aerial vehicles around Taiwan to buy the nation, Washington and its partners time to assemble a response. The plan was devised to deter
INSECURITY: The Financial Times yesterday reported that in a EU-China meeting Xi said he would not ‘take the bait’ from the US Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that the US is luring China into a military conflict over Taiwan, the Financial Times cited a source as saying. Xi told Von der Leyen that the US was “trying to provoke Beijing by providing weapons to Taiwan,” but he would “not take the bait,” the Financial Times reported yesterday, The remarks were made during a meeting between Xi and Von der Leyen in April last year, it said. The report also quoted Center for Strategic and International Studies Freeman Chair in China Studies Jude Blanchette as
CHINESE THREAT: Twenty-two military aircraft and vessels were detected around Taiwan over 24 hours, including a drone that flew as close as 80km to Oluanpi China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) yesterday said that the Chinese man who drove a motorboat into a strategic river mouth in Taiwan on Sunday was acting on his own and would be punished upon his return to China. However, the National Security Bureau said it would not exclude any possibilities regarding the man’s motivations, including the Chinese government’s involvement. The man has been identified as a 60-year-old former Chinese navy captain surnamed Ruan (阮). Coast guard personnel on Sunday arrested Ruan in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水) after his boat entered Tamsui River (淡水河). The boat was detected off the coast of
SHIN KONG SHENANIGANS: Eugene Wu is the father of Cynthia Wu, who was the TPP’s vice presidential candidate alongside Chairman Ko-Wen-je in January’s election Former Shin Kong Life Insurance Co chairman Eugene Wu (吳東進) and several other company executives are being investigated for alleged embezzlement and fraud resulting in corporate financial losses of about NT$150 million (US$4.63 million), New Taipei City prosecutors said yesterday. After being summoned to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning, Wu was listed as among 17 suspects facing charges of aggravated breach of trust, embezzlement and breaches of the Insurance Act (保險法). Wu was released on bail of NT$100 million yesterday. The case has received much attention with Eugene Wu being the eldest son of Wu Ho-su (吳火獅), who founded Shin