GPS News
TAIWAN NEWS
China's recent military activities 'abnormal': Taiwan defence minister
China's recent military activities 'abnormal': Taiwan defence minister
by AFP Staff Writers
Taipei (AFP) Sept 22, 2023

Taiwan's defence minister said China's recent military activities were "abnormal", after a spike in incursions by Chinese warplanes around the island this week.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory and has maintained it will seize it one day -- by force, if necessary.

Beijing performs near-daily aerial incursions around the island, and on Monday Taiwan's defence ministry reported a "recent high" of 103 warplanes within a 24-hour window.

"Our enemy's recent movements are really quite abnormal," Taiwan's defence minister Chiu Kuo-cheng told reporters outside parliament in Taipei on Friday.

"Our initial analysis is that up to September, they have been doing joint exercises, including land, sea, air and amphibious," he said.

His comments came a day after the ministry flagged that it was "monitoring (China's) long-range artillery, rocket forces and ground troops around Fujian province's Dacheng Bay" -- an area facing the island across the Taiwan Strait.

"The threat posed by PLA's (People's Liberation Army) activities have led to an escalation of tension and damaged the regional security," said ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang on Thursday, referring to the Chinese military.

"The closer the PLA's aircraft are to Taiwan, the stronger our countermeasures will be."

China has made no official comment on Monday's massive show of force, although its state tabloid Global Times said the "relevant combat training activities are necessary actions to safeguard national sovereignty".

Since Monday, dozens more planes have been detected around Taiwan, with many briefly crossing a so-called median line bisecting the Taiwan Strait -- a 180-kilometre (110-mile) waterway separating the island from China.

On Friday morning, the defence ministry said 32 Chinese aircraft were detected within the previous 24 hours, publishing a map that illustrated the flight path of 17 planes crossing the median line.

Two of them ventured around Taiwan's southern tip, according to the map.

Earlier this week, US officials from the Pentagon said a direct invasion by China would not be easy due to Taiwan's mountainous terrain and lack of landing beaches.

They also said combining amphibious and airborne assault operations would be "extremely complicated".

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
TAIWAN NEWS
Chinese blockade on Taiwan would be 'monster risk': Pentagon
Washington (AFP) Sept 20, 2023
A Chinese blockade on the island democracy of Taiwan would be a "monster risk" for Beijing and likely to fail, while a military invasion would be extremely difficult, senior Pentagon officials told Congress Tuesday. Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory, vowing to seize it one day, and officials in Washington - a key ally of Taipei - have cited 2027 as a possible timeline for an invasion. The growing worries come as China has ramped up military pressures on Taiwan, holding large-sc ... read more

TAIWAN NEWS
US farmers, tech tycoons square off over plans for utopian city

Spain livestock farmers raise alarm over rise in wolf attacks

Marshes, mills and Michelin stars: Spain's 'chef of the sea'

Glyphosate: where is it banned or restricted?

TAIWAN NEWS
Canceling noise to improve quantum devices

Five things to know about British chip champion Arm

SoftBank supremo eyes rare success with Arm IPO

TSMC plans $100 million investment in Arm IPO: board

TAIWAN NEWS
'We got a pilot in our house' homeowner tells dispatcher after F-35 ejection

Duke Field breaks ground on first electric aircraft charging station

US finds debris from missing F-35

U.S. military calls on public to help find stealth fighter jet lost in South Carolina

TAIWAN NEWS
Novel AI system enhances the predictive accuracy of autonomous driving

Tire maker honored for tackling electric car pollution

Taiwan's TSMC to help train German students for semiconductor careers

UK carmakers hope for delay to post-Brexit tariff

TAIWAN NEWS
Foreign business lobbies warn working in China harder than ever

Top EU official says 'unpredictability' of Chinese law worries foreign firms

Asian markets struggle as traders prepare for higher rates

EU seeks to put brakes on China without hurting ties

TAIWAN NEWS
Arson turns Amazon reforestation project to ashes

Brazil court rules for Indigenous land rights in key case

Outcry stops building in 'world's largest greenbelt' around Toronto

Scientists rediscover small Brazil tree, 185 years on

TAIWAN NEWS
Satellogic and SkyWatch increase access to timely earth observation data

NASA-built greenhouse gas detector moves closer to launch

SynMax announces acquisition of Gas Vista in energy and maritime intelligence push

Spire Global selected by Estuaire to monitor and reduce aviation emissions

TAIWAN NEWS
World Nano Foundation highlights nanotech's role in space materials science

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.