Tag: Taiwan

Taiwan reports another incursion by Chinese warplane: Report
4Apr By Joe RodriguezNo Comments
Asia

Taiwan reports another incursion by Chinese warplane: Report

In yet another instance of Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, a Chinese warplane entered the Taiwanese southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday.According to a chart provided by Taiwan Defence Ministry, the aircraft flew into the airspace between Taiwan and the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea, which are controlled by Taiwan.“In response to the incursion, Taiwan’s Air Force scrambled planes to monitor the Chinese aircraft, issued radio warnings and mobilized air defence assets until the Chinese aircraft left the ADIZ,” the ministry added.Air defence identification zones are early warning systems that help countries detect incursions into their airspace. Any aircraft entering such an area is supposed to report its route and purpose to the “host” nation, thou...
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Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral
24Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Chinese threat to Taiwan ‘closer than most think’: top US admiral

Admiral John Aquilino, who is chosen to be the next commander of US forces in the Pacific, on Tuesday said that China is amassing weapons and systems to militarily overwhelm Taiwan, an action it could be “poised to take” within the next six years.“My opinion is this problem is much closer to us than most think,” he said before the Senate Armed Services Committee, which was reviewing his nomination to lead the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command.He further stated that China considers establishing full control over Taiwan to be its “number one priority”.The current head of the command, Admiral Philip Davidson, told a hearing earlier this month that China could be prepared to take Taiwan, the self-governed democratic island that Beijing claims as its sovereign territory, by force within the ne...
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Taiwan protests against UN report for labeling it as ‘province of China’
22Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Taiwan protests against UN report for labeling it as ‘province of China’

A recent global happiness report issued by the United Nations (UN) is facing severe criticism from Taiwan for listing it as “province of China”.On March 20, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for the UN released its World Happiness Report 2021, a global ranking of happiness levels across 149 countries. The report however has labeled Taiwan as a “province of China” since it is not a member of the UN.Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its dismay about the mislabeling in the World Happiness Report and stressed that Taiwan has its own government and sovereignty and has never been governed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Taiwan’s representative office in New York said in a Twitter post that it has launched a protest demanding respect for the country’s sovereignty and...
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China’s ‘gray zone’ warfare against Taiwan at highest level: Experts
1Mar By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

China’s ‘gray zone’ warfare against Taiwan at highest level: Experts

Military experts have warned that China’s ‘gray zone’ warfare against Taiwan is now at the highest level, which could mean that Beijing is preparing for a full-scale invasion.Shu Hsiao-huang, an analyst at the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), said that in gray-zone conflicts, the participants rely on unconventional tools, tactics and the use of non-state entities that do not cross over into formal state-level aggression.“Due to ambiguity of the enemy’s actions, the targets of ‘gray-zone’ warfare are often uncertain how to immediately respond,” he said.Gray zone conflicts are activities by a state that are harmful to another state and are sometimes considered to be acts of war, but are not legally acts of war.“Beijing has been conducting “gray-...
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Amid rising tensions, China suspends pineapples import from Taiwan
28Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Amid rising tensions, China suspends pineapples import from Taiwan

China has abruptly suspended imports of pineapples from Taiwan to step up its economic pressure against the Taiwanese government.The Chinese General Administration of customs reported that from Monday, China will stop importing pineapples from Taiwan.“This move was a normal precaution to protect biosecurity and prevent the import of plant diseases,” said the spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang said that China’s action is “unfriendly.”Taiwan produces nearly 420,000 tonnes of pineapples every year. It had exported 6,200 batches to China since last year, with only 13 batches, totalling 141 tonnes, failing tests, meaning the qualification rate was 99.79 per cent.“Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture (COA) announced that it would spend NT$1 billi...
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Taiwan concerned about China’s actions near Diaoyutai islands: Report
20Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Taiwan concerned about China’s actions near Diaoyutai islands: Report

Taiwan has grown anxious due to constant Chinese aggression and destabilising actions near the Diaoyutai islands, the most recent being sailing of four Chinese guard ships near the disputed Islands.Situated in East China’s Sea, the uninhabited islands also known as Senkakus in Japan — are claimed by Taipei, Beijing and Tokyo.On Monday and Tuesday, four Chinese guard ships sailed near the Islands, one of which was equipped with a cannon. Two of the ships sailed away on Tuesday morning, including an armed vessel, while the others attempted to approach a Japanese fishing boat, the Japan Coast Guard said.It was the first armed incursion since China’s enactment on February 1 of a new Coast Guard Law, which authorizes its coast guard to inspect and use weapons on foreign vessels in waters claime...
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Amazon to team up with Hon Hai on Indian manufacturing operation
19Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
USA, World

Amazon to team up with Hon Hai on Indian manufacturing operation

E-commerce giant Amazon.com is planning to work with Taiwan’s Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. to open its first manufacturing line in India.In a statement on Amazon Blog in India, the company said it will start manufacturing efforts in India by teaming up with contract manufacturer Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of Hon Hai in Chennai, to roll out its set-top box device Fire TV Stick.“The manufacturing cooperation with Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn on the global market, is scheduled to begin later this year.“The device manufacturing program will be able to produce hundreds of thousands of Fire TV Stick devices every year, catering to the demands of customers in India,” Amazon said in the statement.Amazon said the company “will continuously evaluate scaling capacity to additional mar...
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Taiwan accuses China of ‘bullying’ after Guyana calls off agreement
5Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Taiwan accuses China of ‘bullying’ after Guyana calls off agreement

Taipei has lashed out at China for “bullying” and “suppression” after Guyana terminated an agreement with Taiwan to set up a representative office in the South American country.Taiwan’s remarks come after the Guyanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement announcing the termination of the agreement soon after China called the accord a “mistake”.On Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin responded to the “agreement,” urging Guyana to “earnestly take steps to correct their mistake.”There is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, said Wang.“We hope the relevant party will abide by the one-China principle, refrain from any form of official exchanges and establishment of official institutions with Taiwan, take concrete actions to correct the er...
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Poland President signs off on legal cooperation pact with Taiwan
2Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
China, World

Poland President signs off on legal cooperation pact with Taiwan

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday announced that with the signature of Polish President Andrzej Duda, an agreement between Taiwan and Poland on legal cooperation on criminal matters will soon take effect.“The agreement was approved unanimously by both houses of Poland's parliament, before being sent to the country's Presidential Office”, MOFA said in a press statement. "MOFA sincerely welcomes the signing of the important bilateral agreement by Poland President Andrzej Duda on Jan. 28", it added.The agreement covers five major areas -- criminal matters, extradition, prisoner transfer, exchange of legal and practical insights, and sharing of information for crime prevention, the ministry said adding that it will help strengthen the transnational anti-crime efforts and judicial ...
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Taiwan court sentences Chinese national to 26 years in jail for killing pirates
1Feb By Mike TrudellNo Comments
World

Taiwan court sentences Chinese national to 26 years in jail for killing pirates

A Chinese national has been given 26 years of imprisonment in Taiwan after he was found guilty of ordering the killing of four pirates at sea in 2012 while serving as the captain of a Taiwanese fishing vessel.Wang Fangyu, 43, was convicted of homicide and for breaching the controlling guns knives and ammunition acts.The incident took place in September 2012 and came to light in 2014 when a 10-minute video clip of the fatal shootings was circulated on the internet.Last week, the district court ruled that the killing of the unarmed men showed that he clearly had no respect for human life. Wang had asked two Pakistani mercenaries he hired as the acting captain of the Ping Shin to fire at and kill four suspected Somali pirates that day, the court said.Wang, a Zhejiang-native, was hired by a Ka...
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