China could find a “pretext” to stage new war games around Taiwan this year, coinciding with sensitive dates such as the anniversary next month of a year since President William Lai (賴清德) took office, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday.
China yesterday began military exercises around Taiwan, which it said was to “serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence.”
However, China not give a name to those drills, unlike two war games last year that it dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A,” which was in May, following Lai’s inauguration, and “Joint Sword-2024B” in October, after his Double Ten National Day speech.
Photo: Carlos Garcia Rawlins, Reuters
Meanwhile, the China Coast Guard yesterday said that it conducted “law enforcement patrols” around Taiwan.
Beijing’s pretext could include “special occasions” such as diplomatic events or incidents related to Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsieh said.
He said that there were two key dates this year around which China could either launch named war games — “Joint Sword-2025” — or what he called “de facto” drills.
Photo from Chinese social media
Apart from the anniversary next month, these include August, when China ends a routine annual ban on fishing, ostensibly to protect fish stocks, and National Day on Oct. 10, when Lai is expected to give a keynote speech, Hsieh said.
Neither the Chinese Ministry of National Defense nor China’s Taiwan Affairs Office responded to requests for comment on the likelihood of such war games.
A separate source, a senior Taiwan security official, said that the assessments were based on experience and Chinese actions, adding that China this year could seek “excuses” to hype up its “gray zone” pressure on Taiwan on those sensitive dates.
Photo: Coast Guard Administration (Taiwan Coast Guard) / AFP
However, Beijing faces a “dilemma” in balancing its “gray zone” aggression on Taiwan while avoiding blowback internationally, the security official said.
“On one hand they want to exert extreme pressures on Taiwan, but on the other hand they must be extremely careful not being labelled as an aggressor internationally,” they said.
The CGA is heavily involved in Taiwan’s response to Chinese military drills and civilian “gray zone” activities such as illegal fishing in its waters, and CGA ships now support the navy in shadowing Chinese warships during drills.
In case of war, the CGA would be pressed into service and ships armed to help defend against a Chinese attack.
Hsieh said that Taiwan has been alarmed by a recent uptick in Chinese activities around Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), an atoll protected as a marine reserve that lies strategically at the top of the South China Sea.
China also claims Pratas Island and its coast guard ships have entered the atoll’s restricted waters several times this year, actions denounced by Taipei as “coercive harassment.”
The China Coast Guard has no publicly available media contacts.
Outlining a new response strategy, Hsieh said that the CGA would evaluate the Philippines “transparency” policy to give details on China’s actions to draw greater international attention.
Additional reporting by AFP
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
RSS