Above Photo: President Joe Biden in a meeting at the White House in March. (White House, Erin Scott) We are witnessing the gradual dismantling of strategic ambiguity in favor of the clarity urged by Trump’s belligerent secretary of state, Mike Pompeo. Watching President Joe Biden’s stunningly clumsy performance in Tokyo last week, during which he committed the U.S. to defending Taiwan militarily, my mind went to the old adage, “All politics is local.” I am sure it is, but we are called upon to extend the thought: “All foreign policy is local” is our late-imperial reality. The rest of the world […]
Taiwan
38 posts
President Biden’s recent comments about defending Taiwan in case of a mainland invasion are unusually militaristic, even for the United States. On Monday, May 23, President Joe Biden stated that he would defend Taiwan militarily if the People’s Republic of China were to “invade”. These comments were made during a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo. At the news conference, a reporter asked Biden, “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?” Biden replied “Yes,” […]
Above Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo on May 23, 2022. (Nicolas Datiche / Sipa Press/Pool/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). Critics of U.S. imperialism sounded the alarm Monday after President Joe Biden said that he would use military force in response to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. “That’s the commitment we made,” Biden said at a press conference held jointly with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during a visit to Tokyo, abandoning the “strategic ambiguity” that U.S. presidents have long maintained to obscure how far Washington would go to […]
Above Photo: B-29 Superfortress strategic bombers on the Boeing assembly line in Wichita, Kansas, 1944. Photograph Source: United States Army Air Forces. Public Domain. The Threatened Peoples of East Asia and Europe Can Stop the U.S. Drive to Restore its Global Domination. “This is not going to be a war of Ukraine and Russia. This is going to be a European war, a full-fledged war.” So spoke Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky just days after berating the U.S. for beating the drums of war. It is not hard to imagine how Zelensky’s words must have fallen on those European ears that were attentive. His […]
Above Photo: Evelyn Hockstein / Reuters. US President Joe Biden left reporters puzzled on Tuesday after mentioning a supposed “Taiwan Agreement” with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), since no such agreement by that name exists. “China has…I’ve spoken with Xi about Taiwan. We agree, we will abide by the Taiwan agreement,” Biden said outside the White House on Tuesday evening, when asked about the recent flight of several dozen Chinese aircraft into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone. “That’s where we are and I made it clear that I don’t think he should be doing anything other than abiding by the agreement,” he […]
On Monday, the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China officially reported that the Liaoning aircraft carrier formation conducted the training exercise in waters around Taiwan. In a statement presented by the Ministry, the Chinese PLA Navy Spokesperson Senior Captain Gao Xiucheng said it was a routine training exercise organized according to the annual work plan to test the troops’ training effectiveness and beef up their capability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests. “In the future, the PLA Navy will continue to carry out such exercise and training activities on a regular basis as planned,” said […]
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has provided an update on development activities for the first countries’ indigenous advanced jet trainer (AJT) program, also known as Yung Yin (Brave Eagle). Just this week, the Ministry of National Defense has released new imagery showing two Brave Eagle prototypes flying together marked another step of he indigenous AJT program. “We look forward to the upcoming operational test by Republic of China Air Force [Taiwanese Air Force],” said in a statement on an official Twitter account. – ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW – Taiwanese media on March. 3, reported that the chairman of the Aerospace […]
The Republic of China Armed Forces, commonly known as the Taiwanese Armed Forces, demonstrated the nation’s long-range strike capacity during recent military exercises. Last week, Taiwan’s Air Force has wrapped up a large-scale exercise involving test flights with an air-to-ground, subsonic cruise missile, called the Wan Chien. Taiwanese state media said the drill held at the southern Tainan airbase, flight crew from the First Tactical Fighter Wing deployed the Wan Chien cruise missiles on an Indigenous Defense Fighter, also known as the F-CK-1 or Ching-Kuo. – ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW – The missile, developed by the military’s top research unit, […]
Taiwan is planning to develop a new combat vehicle with 105-mm rifled cannon to increase the mobility and firepower of troops. As Taiwan News previously reported, the Ministry of Defense’s (MND) Armament Bureau launched the development of a new variant of the Yunpao infantry support vehicle. The new combat vehicle, commonly known as a tank hunter, will be armed with three different weapons; the main gun a 105-mm rifled cannon, a 12,7-caliber heavy machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun as secondary weapons. – ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW – According to the 2021 MND budget, the Armament Bureau has set […]
How A Key Pentagon Official Turned China Policy Over To Arms Industry And Taiwan Supporters By Gareth Porter, Global Research. October 31, 2020 How A Key Pentagon Official Turned China Policy Over To Arms Industry And Taiwan Supporters2020-10-312020-10-31https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/10/randall-schriver-e1604178649566.jpg200px200px Above photo: From The Grayzone. The “Fortress Taiwan” arms deal overseen by ex-Assistant Secretary of Defense Randall Schriver is one of the most provocative U.S. moves against China in years. And a big win for his think tank’s arms industry and Taiwanese patrons. When the United States finalized a set of seven arms sales packages to Taiwan in August, including 66 upgraded F-16 fighter planes […]
The U.S. State Department reportedly has informed Congress it plans to sell modern artillery systems to Taiwan. The story was first reported by Reuters, which cited its sources in the Trump administration, said that the State Department recently approved the potential sale of a truck-based rocket launcher made called a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System to Taiwan. The advanced artillery system, commonly known as HIMARS, is a lightweight mobile launcher, transportable via C-130 and larger aircraft for rapid deployment. HIMARS consists of a launcher loader module and fire control system mounted on a five-ton truck chassis. A specialized armored cab provides additional […]
The Republic of China Air Force air force fighter jets intercepted Chinese maritime patrol aircraft intruded into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement. The ROCAF, Taiwan’s air force, scrambled fighter jets on the night of Oct. 15. to intercept Chinese Y-8Q maritime patrol aircraft, known popularly as “submarine hunter”. According to the procedure, it also readied its anti-aircraft missile and artillery batteries to shoot down the Chinese planes, in case they were missed by the scrambled fighter jets. “ROCAF deployed patrolling aircraft and air defense missile systems to monitor the activity. We keep […]
Beijing has slammed the United States for seriously undermining stability in the Taiwan Strait after a US Navy destroyer sailed through the waters. Washington claims the USS Barry had been conducting a “routine transit.” The Eastern Theater Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said China’s military had followed and monitored the USS Barry on Wednesday. “We sternly urge the US to stop making trouble-stirring statements and moves,” said a spokesperson, Senior Colonel Zhang Chunhui. “The command forces are always on high alert in resolutely safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.” […]
Dangers Of Military Confrontation Around Taiwan And South China Sea By Ann Wright, Popular Resistance. October 14, 2020 Dangers Of Military Confrontation Around Taiwan And South China Sea2020-10-142020-10-14https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/10/rimpac-e1602701091778.jpg200px200px Above photo: US Navy Photo. Over the past two years, the United States has dramatically increased the number of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and destroyers sent into the South China Sea as a freedom of navigation show of force missions to remind the Chinese government that the U.S. considers the Western Pacific and the South China Sea as a part of the oceans of America and its allies. Additionally, in 2020, the Trump […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/0a/0f/1080774333_0:323:2868:1935_1200x675_80_0_0_8683a0223c59b2de012df07f3794388a.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202010151080774204-us-seriously-undermining-peace-and-stability-in-the-taiwan-strait-china-says/ The statement follows a recent escalation in the Taiwan Strait after the American guided-missile destroyer USS Barry conducted what it called a “routine Taiwan Strait transit”, but was monitored with suspicion by the Chinese military. The United States is seriously undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the spokesman for the Eastern Theater Command of China’s army, Zhang Chunhui, said on Thursday. He called on Washington to stop provocations in the region, warning that if they continue, Beijing will be determined to defend the country’s territorial integrity and maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan […]
HONG KONG—In a rare act of bipartisanship, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to reestablish formal diplomatic relations with the United States, two and a half weeks after Chinese state media issued a threat against the personal safety of Taiwan’s president. Multiple factors explain the two parties’ convergence for the bill, and they all point to the Chinese Communist Party’s aggression toward Taiwan. On every day for more than two weeks, warplanes dispatched by China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force breached Taiwan’s air defense […]
Taiwan’s military scrambled fighter aircraft to intercept a Chinese spy aircraft, it said on Tuesday at the official Ministry of National Defense Republic of China Twitter account. One People’s Liberation Army Y-8 Anti-Submarine Warfare aircraft entered Taiwan’s southwest air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Oct. 1, it says on its Twitter. “Republic of China Air Force fighters scrambled and deployed air defense missile system to monitor the activity. No matter what happened, we will Keep protect our country firmly,” the news release says. “Taiwan’s military scrambled fighter aircraft to intercept a Chinese spy aircraft, it said on Tuesday at the official […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/17/1080553773_0:0:1423:800_1200x675_80_0_0_0e883722abeffd3efec5284049e93de4.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Morgan Artyukhina . Sputnik International https://sputniknews.com/asia/202009231080553813-photo-taiwan-has-cruise-missiles-capable-of-reaching-china-stationed-at-base-in-straits/ A recent news report from Taiwan’s Makung Air Force Base in the Taiwan Strait revealed Taiwan’s air force has stationed air-to-ground cruise missiles within striking distance of the Chinese mainland. On September 22, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing Wen paid a visit to Makung Air Force Base, a Republic of China Air Force installation on the Penghu archipelago, which sits in the Taiwan Strait. At the highly publicized meeting, she greeted several F-CK-1C/D Indigenous Defense Fighter pilots and thanked them for their “heroic performance” in deterring dozens of Chinese aircraft that crossed […]
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, shown at a news conference last November, says he sees the possibility of closer relations with the U.S. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, shown at a news conference last November, says he sees the possibility of closer relations with the U.S. Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Taiwan is not pursuing formal diplomatic ties with the United States for now, but there is “a lot” of room to further strengthen relations, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in an interview after unprecedented visits by […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/09/12/1080496866_0:249:2730:1785_1200x675_80_0_0_8291e828b8d127f319892d8bacb45883.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/asia/202009181080496821-china-reportedly-carrying-out-military-exercises-near-the-taiwan-strait-/ The report came amid the planned visit of US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment Keith Krach to Taiwan, despite Beijing’s objections. Beijing says it is conducting military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, citing the need to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Earlier this week, the US Department of State announced that it would be sending a senior diplomat, Keith Krach, to attend the memorial service for former Taiwanese political leader Lee Teng-hui. Washington and Taiwan have reportedly been in negotiations to initiate an economic dialogue. According to China’s Ministry of […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202009081080400781-china-will-reportedly-sanction-senior-us-officials-who-visit-taiwan/ Last month, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reacted to China’s objections to the planned visit by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to Taiwan by saying it was not inconsistent with previous policy. China will sanction senior US officials who visit Taiwan, as well as the American companies that they work with, the Global Times’ editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, said on Tuesday. He took to Twitter to announce the news. Based on what I know, China will sanction senior US officials who visit Taiwan, and American companies which they have ties with. They […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e4/08/1f/1080324638_44:0:1244:675_1200x675_80_0_0_a232849d5b0f34694d83936117c15e6e.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/viral/202008311080324340-giant-kite-sweeps-3-year-old-into-sky-during-festival-in-taiwan–video/ The video of the incredible incident at the Taiwan Kite Festival is going viral on social media, with more than 49K views. In a hair-raising incident, a 3-year-old girl was lifted high into the air by a giant kite that she was flying during a kite festival in Taiwan. Media reports said the little girl was miraculously able to avoid an Icarus-like tragedy and sustained only minor injuries. The video shows the girl holding on to the orange-coloured kite in the sky, as the strong winds made it fly to and fro. Although the […]
Beijing has reacted with anger to the news that the United States has formalized the sale of the latest model F-16 jets to Taiwan. A U.S. Department of Defense announcement on Thursday said Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp has been awarded a $62 billion, 10-year contract for the production of F-16s for Foreign Military Sale (FMS), and the initial delivery order is for 90 aircraft. The DoD did not reveal the buyers of the fighter jets, but media outlets including Bloomberg and AFP reported on Friday that the deal includes Taiwan’s approved purchase of 66 F-16V fighters. – ADVERTISEMENT […]
On Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China has reported that the Chinese military is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the U.S. sending military personnel to Taiwan for exercises and exchanges. Chinese military officials have made controversial comments after U.S. Special Operations Forces have released a promotional video that showed rare footage on “joint military training” between the US and Taiwan militaries. – ADVERTISEMENT – CONTINUE READING BELOW – The 1st Special Forces Group posted the short motivational video, titled “Excellence,” on its official Facebook page on June 16, 2020. Currently, the video has […]
MELBOURNE, Australia — Singapore has told the U.S. Air Force it wants to co-locate its Arizona-based F-16 training detachment with its future F-35 training unit, with five locations in the U.S. shortlisted as potential sites for training international F-35 operators. In a statement to Defense News, U.S. Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said the service “plans to establish an F-35 Foreign Military Sales training Center in the Continental United States which could accommodate up to 36 F-35 aircraft.” “Based on negotiations with our foreign military sales customers as well as airspace and weather considerations, the Air Force is considering five candidate […]
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Tuesday that he has not issued any orders to remove American forces from South Korea, but left the door open for such a move in the future. Esper, speaking at an event hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, also said that America remains steadfast in its support of Taiwan. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was drawing up plans to reduce the U.S. presence in South Korea below the current level of 28,500 personnel. A similar situation, which played out earlier this year, has resulted in […]
With US Support, Taiwan Planted Deception About Warning WHO Of COVID19 By Ajit Singh, The Grayzone. July 20, 2020 With US Support, Taiwan Planted Deception About Warning WHO Of COVID192020-07-202020-07-20https://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2017/12/popres-shorter.pngPopularResistance.Orghttps://popularresistance-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2020/07/marco-rubio-with-taiwan-president-e1595270349564.jpg200px200px Above photo: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meeting with neoconservative Senator Marco Rubio in 2016 (Photo credit: Taiwanese government). Taiwan’s claim that it provided early warning to the WHO about Covid and “human-to human-transmission” has been exploited by the Trump administration to attack the multi-lateral body and turn up the heat on China. There’s just one problem: it’s totally false. The Taiwanese government has claimed that it provided early warning to the World Health Organization (WHO) […]
Beijing is imposing sanctions on US arms firm Lockheed Martin for its involvement in a missile deal with Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. The move could further worsen relations between the US and China. Lockheed Martin is reportedly a major contractor for Washington’s $620 million package to upgrade Taiwan’s Patriot surface-to-air missiles system. The deal was approved last week by the US State Department. “China firmly opposes US arms sales to Taiwan,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, adding that in response, Beijing is imposing “sanctions on the main contractor of this arms sale, Lockheed […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo-itemprop.png Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202007141079877792-china-reportedly-threatens-sanctions-on-lockheed-martin-amid-planned-us-arms-sales-to-taiwan/ On Thursday, the United States approved a $620mln recertification package to Taiwan for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 air defence missiles. The deal comes less than two months after the US approved a sale of torpedoes to the breakaway province. Beijing will put sanctions on US defence corporation Lockheed Martin over the latest US arms sale deal with Taiwan, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. DETAILS TO FOLLOW Source link
The approved package includes 63 F-35A conventional takeoff and landing aircraft and 42 F-35 short takeoff and landing variants, and essentially green-lighting the procurement plans spelled out by Japan in 2018. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of the possible sale, which is worth about $23 billion, although that number could change during negotiations between the country and Lockheed Martin, which would start after Congress approves the sale. Also included in the arms deal is: 110 Pratt & Whitney F135 engines, associated electronic warfare and communications systems, the Autonomic Logistics Information System, training gear, infrared flares, a performance-based logistics package, […]
The Taiwanese startup Bitmark, which participated in a government-sponsored hackathon in May, was unable to promote its blockchain solution due to Apple’s pandemic moderation policy. “We were trying to essentially build a weather forecast but for public health,” said Bitmark CEO Sean Moss-Pultz. “It allowed people to volunteer their symptoms and what they are trying to do to get better, and connect that to public data from public health offices.” Precisely because the World Health Organization excludes Taiwan, the small Asian nation has developed a unique set of software tools for combatting COVID-19. However, the Apple store only lists health apps […]
The epicentre of the quake occurred at a depth of 20 kilometres, 137 kilometres south-east of Taipei, according to seismologists. A magnitude 6.0 earthquake has been registered in the Taiwan region, China, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said on late Saturday. There has been no further information so far concerning possible casualties or damage resulting from the quake. Earthquakes starting with a 6.0 magnitude are considered “strong”, according to the Richter magnitude scale, and can cause moderate to strong damage to poor structures. They can be felt up to hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from the epicentre and cause strong […]
MELBOURNE, Australia — China could stand to lose almost all of its ballistic and cruise missiles if it were to sign a new strategic arms control treaty, according to a new regional security assessment. The analysis, titled “The End of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces Treaty: Implications for Asia,” is one of the chapters of the annual Asia-Pacific regional security assessment published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank. IISS’ report was released June 5 and covered regional security topics such as Sino-U.S. relations, North Korea and Japanese policy. China could lose 95 percent of its ballistic and cruise […]
https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107929/79/1079297921_0:0:2144:1207_1200x675_80_0_0_2380cd8a086c3790d97c7f7a9b9533d5.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/asia/202006011079492027-taiwan-eyeing-us-made-anti-ship-missiles-for-coastal-defense-despite-beijings-disapproval-/ As tensions between Washington and Beijing persist, Taipei is maintaining its autonomy and has expressed interest in securing a deal for new Harpoon anti-ship missiles from US-based defense contractor Boeing. The National Defense Ministry of the Republic of China revealed on May 28 that the democratically-ruled island intends to proceed in procuring Harpoon missiles from the United States, despite recent warnings from China and the already contentious relations between Washington and Beijing. Deputy Defense Minister Chang Che Ping confirmed the future US-Taiwan arms deal while answering questions in parliament on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Taiwan’s officials have confirmed that the Ministry of National Defense is close to a deal to purchase the new mobile coastal defense system with Boeing Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles. According to a recent report by the Udn.com, Taiwan’s deputy defense minister Chang Zhe-Ping has confirmed that Taipei has decided to acquire a U.S.-made Harpoon coastal defense system in a mobile configuration. Chang Zhe-Pin also added that the new missiles should enter service with the Navy’s Hai Feng squadron in 2023. The new mobile coastal defense system is intended to perform surveillance of maritime coastal traffic, monitoring and picturing sea lines […]
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense is close to a deal to purchase the mobile coastal defense system with Boeing Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, according to UP Media, which cited people familiar with the matter. The new mobile coastal defense system is intended to perform surveillance of maritime coastal traffic, monitoring and picturing sea lines of communication, and identification and detection of hostile targets. It is also capable of countering and interdicting the potential coastal threats in territorial waters. This expands the defended area and enhances the total fighting capability of the force. The potential deal would strengthen the U.S.-Taiwan defense […]
World 18:09 GMT 11.05.2020Get short URL https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/107923/09/1079230933_0:164:3073:1892_1200x675_80_0_0_6a0e15258c06efe6470db5729a7b0006.jpg Sputnik International https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png Sputnik https://cdn2.img.sputniknews.com/i/logo.png https://sputniknews.com/world/202005111079274070-who-lawyer-rules-out-inviting-taiwan-to-world-health-assembly-amid-divide-among-members/ MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The World Health Organisation (WHO) chief has no mandate to invite Taiwan to join this month’s key summit, the World Health Assembly, given a divide over the matter among member states, who have the last word on who attends meetings as observers, the agency’s principal legal officer said on Monday. “The director-general, is the secretary of the health assembly, according to the constitution. Member states, and only member states, determine the policies of the organization at those meetings, make the final decision on what they […]
A spokesman for the biggest American chip maker says it is in discussions with the U.S. Defense Department about improving domestic technology sources. Source link