On Tuesday, citing bad weather, the Kinmen Defence Command, which had been set to stage the drills, put off the exercises, which include using land-based weapons to fire at sea. “We need to postpone the drills due to adverse weather conditions,” an officer at the Kinmen Defence Command said by phone. “Shooting training at land-based … Read more
Taiwan is planning a series of offshore live-fire military drills throughout April around its offshore islets, including Quemoy, a Taiwanese-held outpost which is a short distance from the mainland city of Xiamen. On Wednesday, Chen Binhua, a spokesman for mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said Beijing is closely monitoring the movements of the Taiwanese army, … Read more
Beijing says it is holding a Taiwanese soldier who was rescued by mainland Chinese coastguards earlier this week and then tried to conceal his real identity. Chen Binhua, a spokesman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that man, identified only by the surname Hu, was one of two people rescued by coastguards off the coast … Read more
“No one can say for sure” that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) would not attack Taiwan in the near term, he said, adding that “hostility has continued to rise and there are many unexpected situations that could trigger unintended incidents”. Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng has said he could not “sleep well at night” because … Read more
Taiwan will kick off a series of live-fire military drills next month in the area around its offshore islets, including Quemoy, a source of mounting friction between Taipei and Beijing following a series of recent marine incidents. The Kinmen Defence Command under the Taiwanese army will stage artillery exercises to bolster combat readiness at seven … Read more
Taiwan has accused Beijing of inaction on unlicensed boats from mainland China, saying the failure was the ultimate cause of an encounter that led to the deaths of two fishermen in waters off a Taiwan-controlled defence outpost last month. The two mainland men were among four on a high-powered fishing boat that overturned during a … Read more
The cases have some similarities but this time it could be much more difficult to negotiate a resolution, observers say. 02:20 Two mainland Chinese fishermen drown after Taiwan coastguard pursuit Two mainland Chinese fishermen drown after Taiwan coastguard pursuit Both incidents happened amid a lack of communication and trust between the two sides. Like the … Read more
“The [routes] will be launched as soon as they are ready,” Zhu Fenglian, a spokeswoman for Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said on Wednesday. Once launched, mainland planes could more easily stay over the line, a move analysts said would put more strain on the island’s air defences because of the need to distinguish between military … Read more
Taiwan’s military will not consider the presence of mainland Chinese coastguard vessels in its restricted waters a threat, the island’s defence minister said on Tuesday, as he sought to ease rising cross-strait tensions that could escalate into a potential conflict. “As long as the [mainland coastguard vessels] do not come close to our land forces, … Read more
Large vessels that mainland China’s coastguard uses to sail around the contested Diaoyu Islands were sent on Sunday on a law-enforcement patrol near Quemoy, where two mainland fishermen died this month fleeing Taiwan’s coastguard. The deployment, which signalled Beijing was stepping up pressure on Taipei, was intended to confront Taipei with an overwhelming presence, according … Read more
