President William Lai’s (賴清德) stopovers in Hawaii and Guam during his first overseas trip to Taiwan’s Pacific diplomatic allies are indicative of a Taiwan-US alliance to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a Taipei-based security expert said on Sunday.
Lai arrived in Hawaii on Saturday for a two-day stopover on his trip to Palau, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, and is scheduled to make a stopover in Guam on his return trip.
Lai’s trip is set to “link” the first, the second and third island chains, said Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
Photo: Reuters
Taiwan is on the first island chain, while Guam and Palau are along the second island chain, and Hawaii is on the third island chain, Su said.
The three island chains are strategically important for curbing China’s expansionism and, in particular, the BRI, he said.
The first island chain is the “first line of defense” against Chinese expansionism and a critical maritime route for fuel, with Taiwan at the center of this chain, Su said.
As China is building deep-water harbors in the Solomon Islands and Peru and a space tracking station in Kiribati, fortifying the second island chain aids efforts to defend the first island chain is in the interest of the US and its allies, he said.
Meanwhile, open-source data showed that the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (CSG) is deployed in Yokosuka, Japan, while the Abraham Lincoln CSG is in Port Klang, Malaysia, and the USS Carl Vinson supercarrier is in the East Pacific.
Asked if such deployments were made to deter China from overreacting to Lai’s passing through the US state and territory, Association of Strategic Foresight research fellow Chieh Chung (揭仲) said they were aimed to deter China, but were unlikely related to Lai’s itinerary.
Academics have said that there is a high possibility Lai’s transit stops in the US could trigger Beijing, causing it to hold large-scale military exercises near Taiwan, in part to “set the ground rules” for US president-elect Donald Trump regarding Taiwan.
However, this is unlikely as such a tactic could irritate Trump and have the opposite effect, the academic added.
Rather, the move is likely intended to warn China not to engage in any unnecessary or provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait in the run-up to Jan. 20, when Trump is to be inaugurated, he added.
The first island chain refers to the archipelago consisting of the Aleutian Islands, the Japanese archipelago, South Korea, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the Philippines and the Greater Sunda Islands.
The second island chain refers to the Izu Islands, the Bonin Islands, the Mariana Islands, the Caroline Islands, Guam, Palau and Halmahera Island.
The third island chain refers to Alaska, Hawaii, US- governed Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS