DEFENSE
US ship transits Strait
A US military vessel transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense said. The vessel sailed north through the Taiwan Strait, it said in a statement, adding that it was closely monitoring nearby airspace and waters as the ship crossed and observed nothing unusual. In another statement, the US identified the ship as the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Ralph Johnson. The ship was conducting a routine Taiwan Strait transit through waters where high seas freedom of navigation and overflight apply under international law, it said. “Ralph Johnson’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to upholding freedom of navigation for all nations as a principle,” the statement said. “No member of the international community should be intimidated or coerced into giving up their rights and freedoms.” Chinese People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command spokesperson Li Xi (李熹) criticized the US for “trumpeting” the transit.
EVENTS
Taiwan to host scout event
Taiwan is to host the 2029 World Scout Moot following a successful bid at the World Scout Conference in Cairo, the General Association of the Scouts of China (Taiwan) said yesterday. Taiwan on Wednesday garnered the support of more than 90 percent of the nearly 2,000 attendees from 176 countries, it said in a statement. The association said the event is to take place at Tsou Ma Lai Farm in Tainan, where the 12th National Jamboree was held last month. The World Scout Moot is one of the three major international scouting events, along with the World Scout Conference and the World Scout Jamboree. The World Scout Moot is held every four years, primarily for scouts aged 18 to 25. Taiwan previously hosted the event in 2004.
WEATHER
Storm not to impact Taiwan
A low-pressure system in the Pacific was upgraded to a tropical storm early yesterday, but would not impact Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Shanshan was 2,290km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) at 8am, moving at 6kph in a north-northwesterly direction, it said. CWA data showed it had maximum sustained winds of 72kph, with gusts reaching 101kph. The agency said the storm would not directly impact Taiwan and was moving slowly toward Japan.
TRADE
Paraguay open to China
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena on Wednesday said he was “fully open” to trade deals with China via South American trade bloc Mercosur, despite his country’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Paraguay is the last South American country with formal relations with Taiwan. Mercosur, a customs union, has been in talks to finalize a trade deal with the EU, but has also discussed a potential trade deal with China. “Our position with China is one of total openness,” Pena said of Paraguay’s position within Mercosur, adding that the obstacle was China not accepting its recognition of Taiwan. “We are in favor of advancing trade agreements,” he said in an interview with Reuters. Mercosur officials held a dialogue with Chinese counterparts on Monday last week in Uruguay’s capital. “I see prudence on Brazil’s side,” Pena said of the possible China agreement, which he emphasized that he supported. “I think that the most interested is Uruguay, and we accompany this effort to have a conversation as a bloc.”
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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