A "Taiwan dome alliance" would be set up to help implement a civilian defense system, civil groups including the Taiwan Society North told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Taiwan Society North president Lo Chun-hsuan (羅浚晅) said that more than 50 pro-Taiwan organizations would form the alliance and give full backing to a government plan to invest more in defense-related industries.
President William Lai (賴清德) outlined the proposed defense spending bill on Wednesday.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Lai previously announced plans for a “Taiwan dome” missile defense system. The plan is for a multi-layered defense system with high-level detection and effective interception to protect the nation from potential attack.
Beijing has instigated an onslaught of propaganda to turn democratic Taiwan into “China’s Taiwan,” while some people in Taiwan are promoting Beijing’s agenda, touting the “one country, two systems” and “peaceful unification” models, Lo said.
“It is not mere political rhetoric, but would destroy Taiwan’s democracy from within,” he said. “We must deal with such comments in accordance with the law, punishing those who collude with foreign forces to dismantle our country.”
The nation needs the Taiwan dome, and Taiwanese must learn about history and be discerning of media, Union of Taiwanese Teachers vice president Pan Wei-you (潘威佑) said.
“It is vital that young people understand that it was not easy for Taiwan to gain its freedom and democracy,” Pan said.
National security expert Chen Wen-chia (陳文甲) said Lai’s plan to defend democracy would turn a strategic concept into action items, eliminating the “passive defense” mode.
Lai’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget bill to develop Taiwan’s capabilities in asymmetrical warfare and artificial intelligence-enhanced defense systems symbolizes the start of a new era of “defense of democracy combined with applied high-technology to safeguard Taiwan,” Chen said.
After the news conference, Lo led a march to the Mainland Affairs Council to demand punitive action against Chien Li (錢麗), a Chinese living in Taiwan who has publicly urged Beijing to forcefully unify with Taiwan.
“We must not have people colluding with the enemy state and calling for the destruction of Taiwan,” Lo said.
“The government must apply national security laws governing residency requirements for Chinese and not allow them to stay if they create societal strife,” he said.
US President Donald Trump said "it’s up to" Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) what China does on Taiwan, but that he would be "very unhappy" with a change in the "status quo," the New York Times said in an interview published yesterday. Xi "considers it to be a part of China, and that’s up to him what he’s going to be doing," Trump told the newspaper on Wednesday. "But I’ve expressed to him that I would be very unhappy if he did that, and I don’t think he’ll do that," he added. "I hope he doesn’t do that." Trump made the comments in
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
A cold surge advisory was today issued for 18 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures of below 10°C forecast during the day and into tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. New Taipei City, Taipei, Taoyuan and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties are expected to experience sustained temperatures of 10°C or lower, the CWA said. Temperatures are likely to temporarily drop below 10°C in most other areas, except Taitung, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, CWA data showed. The cold weather is being caused by a strong continental cold air mass, combined with radiative cooling, a process in which heat escapes from
Snow this morning fell on Alishan for the first time in seven years, as a strong continental cold air mass sent temperatures plunging across Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The Alishan weather station, located at an elevation of about 2,200m in central Taiwan, recorded snowfall from 8:55am to 9:15am, when the temperature dropped to about 1°C, the CWA said. With increased moisture and low temperatures in the high-altitude Alishan area, the conditions were favorable for snow, CWA forecaster Tsai Yi-chi (蔡伊其) said. The last time snow fell at the Alishan weather station was on Jan. 10, 2018, while graupel fell there
RSS