The Ministry of National Defense said today that Chinese warplanes and warships had carried out the first "combat patrol" around Taiwan of the new year, after President William Lai (賴清德) again expressed willingness to talk to Beijing.
China sends its military into the skies and waters near the island on an almost daily basis, and holds what Taiwan calls "joint combat readiness patrols" several times a month.
The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 22 Chinese military aircraft, including J-16 fighter jets, carrying out a "joint combat readiness patrol" around Taiwan in conjunction with Chinese warships starting this morning.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of National Defense
It said the Chinese aircraft flew in airspace to the north, west, southwest and east of Taiwan, and that Taiwanese forces were dispatched to keep watch.
China's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lai, in his New Year's Day news conference, reiterated his desire for exchanges with China. He has repeatedly called for talks but has been rebuffed. Beijing, which held two rounds of war games around Taiwan last year, calls him a "separatist."
China's Eastern Theatre Command, whose area of responsibility includes Taiwan, yesterday released a New Year's video on social media of warships and warplanes, and what appeared to be a Chinese fighter jet flying near a P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft that the US sometimes sends through the Taiwan Strait.
The video, set to the song "Chinese" by Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau (劉德華), also included images of Chinese students visiting Taiwan late last year at the invitation of former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told reporters in Taipei today that the video was another example of Chinese psychological warfare.
The video is an example of China’s “united front” efforts to create an “illusion,” he said.
"It is the People's Liberation Army showing its intimidation of Taiwan," he said.
He believes Taiwanese know that the Chinese Communist Party is acting primarily due to political factors, he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to implement Lai’s Four Pillars of Peace action plan and Four Commitments to handle the cross-strait and international relations, he added.
Additional reporting by Fion Khan and CNA
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS