The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia.
Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO.
He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy.
Photo: Huang Ching-hsuan, Taipei Times
“They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such arms and ammunitions are to be applied in wars instead of in military parades in Beijing.
China has the obvious ambition of getting control of Taiwan, and the risk is increasing, he said.
If Beijing decides to attack Taiwan, it would cooperate with Moscow, meaning that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) would call Russian President Vladimir Putin and “ask him to keep us [NATO] busy in this part of Europe,” Rutte said.
The situation showed that the North Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific regions are becoming increasingly intertwined, he said.
During Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea joined the war on the Russian side, while China’s delivery of dual-use items and Iran’s supply of drone technology to Russia have also aided Moscow’s war efforts, Rutte said.
It is projected that Russia could mount a full-scale attack on NATO territory within the next three to seven years, he added.
To address potential threats from the alliance between Russia and China, NATO must increase defense spending to boost its overall military strength, Rutte said.
It must also deepen its cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners to deter all potential military adventures, he said.
The foreign ministry yesterday said that Rutte has on multiple occasions since assuming his post in October last year mentioned China’s regional expansion and its ambition to invade Taiwan.
Rutte has also been calling on democratic allies to be aware of the authoritarian cooperation between China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, as well as the risks and challenges the bloc poses to global security and the international order, it said.
As a democracy in the international community, Taiwan would bear its responsibility to continue to cooperate with like-minded partners such as NATO and G7 nations to safeguard the peace, stability and prosperity of the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region, the ministry said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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