Two sorties of Chinese drones were detected flying around the perimeter of Taiwan proper between 6am on Saturday and 6am yesterday, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
A total of 31 Chinese military aircraft — which included several drones — and 12 Chinese warships were detected operating in and near the Taiwan Strait over the 24-hour period, the ministry said.
Institute for National Defense and Security Research fellow Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲) said the maneuvers were likely aimed at affecting public sentiment in Taiwan, demonstrating defiance toward the US’ two-plus-two talks with India and Australia, and enacting China’s polarized strategy of pushing war and peace as two alternatives against Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
Two of the drones had entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from the northwest separately after 11:50am on Saturday, and then circled Taiwan proper, the ministry said.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense on Saturday also detected a Chinese drone flying in waters over the East China Sea between Taiwan and Yonaguni Island in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, before turning south toward the Bashi Channel, it said.
The Japanese ministry also detected a Shaanxi Y-9 electronic warfare aircraft flying over the East China Sea in airspace between Okinawa Island and Miyako Island in Okinawa Prefecture, it said.
Beijing frequently reacts to international cooperation in the region by holding drills in or near the Taiwan Strait, Su said.
Citing an example, he said that it had held drills following an announcement by Vietnam and the Philippines about planned joint naval exercises.
Beijing’s attitude toward Taiwan was also demonstrated on China’s People’s Liberation Army Day on Thursday last week, when it published through state media cartoons depicting attacks on Taiwanese cities including Taipei, Kaohsiung and Hualien, he said.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) yesterday said he believes that China’s recent military exercises near Taiwan were part of its cognitive warfare efforts, and were aimed at intimidating the Taiwanese public.
Taiwan should improve its defense capabilities and integrate international cooperation into its strategy to better prepare itself against Chinese threats, he said.
However, aggression from China would only result in democracies strengthening ties and cooperation, he said, adding that Taiwan would face any threat head-on.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
RSS