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BEIJING (Reuters) - There are no off limits or restricted areas for fishing around a group of Taiwanese islands close to China's coast and Beijing reserves the right to take further measures after two Chinese nationals died near the islands, the government said. Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained in recent years about Chinese fishing boats and other vessels operating in Taiwan-controlled waters, especially around the Kinmen and Matsu islands which sit a short distance from China's coast. Late on Saturday, China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which has already condemned Taipei for the incident near Kinmen's Beiding islet, said the deaths had caused "strong indignation" in China. China's Taiwan Affairs Office said the government had goodwill towards Taiwan's people, but will never tolerate Taiwan's disregard for the safety of Chinese fishermen. "The mainland reserves the right to take further measures, and Taiwan shall bear all the consequences," it added, without elaborating.
Persons: Kinmen, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan, Xu Hao, Ben Blanchard Organizations: China's Taiwan Affairs Office, Fishermen, Taiwan Affairs Office, Taiwan Affairs Office's, Beijing Locations: BEIJING, China's, Beijing, Taiwan, China, Taipei, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Shanghai, Taipei Mayor, Taiwan Affairs Office's Shanghai
Taipei, Taiwan CNN —Taiwan has protested against China’s “unilateral” adjustment of civil aviation flight routes that could result in civilian aircraft flying closer to the sensitive Taiwan Strait median line, adding pressure on Taipei in its aviation safety and aerial defense. This means all southbound flights will no longer need to veer off six nautical miles to the west from the designated route – as agreed by Beijing and Taipei in 2015 – and can now fly on the original path, bringing the aircraft closer to the median line and the Taipei Flight Information Region. In 2015, China unilaterally declared the operation of M503 route, prompting protests from Taipei. After negotiations with Taipei, Beijing agreed at the time to move the route six nautical miles to the west of its original path. The median line dividing China and Taiwan has been a tacit understanding between both sides not bound by any legal pact.
Persons: China’s, Organizations: Taiwan CNN, China’s Civil Aviation Administration, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration, Mainland Affairs Council, MAC, Communist Party Locations: Taipei, Taiwan, Beijing, Shanghai, China, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Fujian province, Matsu, Taiwan Strait
Read previewOn the beach of the Taiwanese island of Kinmen, pointed metal rods protrude from the ground and point towards the sea. To test Western resolve, China could first grab one of the offshore islands - just as Putin initially seized Crimea. After all, the only previous hostilities between Taiwan and China took place here - Beijing tried to conquer Kinmen in 1960 and 1970. To take Taiwan, China does not need Kinmen or the other offshore islands as a springboard. Due to its proximity to the mainland, Chinese military activities and any preparations for an invasion can be easily observed from here.
Persons: , Gregor Schwung, Xi Jinping, Putin, Xi, Sun Tzu, Li Wen, Jing, Li, Vladimir Putin, Yao, Yuan Yeh Organizations: Service, Business, Congress, Kinmen, dicey coastguard, People's Liberation Army, Institute for National Defence and Security Research, Ministry of Defence, WELT, New, Security, Beijing, Communist Party, St Thomas University, Policy Locations: Kinmen, China, Xiamen, Taiwan, Taipei, Pratas, People's Republic, Crimea, Washington, Beijing, Ukraine, Taiwan's, Houston
Beigan, Taiwan CNN —In a sleepy Taiwanese island village just eight miles off the coast of mainland China, scooters whiz past an unassuming building that has stood here, largely overlooked, for decades. YI.ng Lighting DesignKnown locally as Jun Hun (or “Army Soul”), a nickname shared with the Taiwanese army division that built it, the Beigan Power Plant entered service in 1975 and became a linchpin of the local economy before closing in 2010. Art in the ‘heart’ of MatsuThe transformed Beigan Power Plant is the flagship venue of the Matsu Biennial, which runs through November 12 and features artworks exploring the outlying islands’ heritage, cultural identity and military past. “The power plant is the heart of Matsu that hasn’t stopped beating, and the generators are the essence of the power plant,” Liu said told CNN at the studio he shares with Chu. “I want to use sound to breathe new life into the deserted power plant, so that viewers can grasp what it was like when these generators were still running,” Wang told CNN at her studio.
Persons: Taiwan CNN —, , Hun, , Mao Zedong’s, Matsu —, Matsu, Annie Chu, Liu Ping, hasn’t, ” Liu, Chu, Kinmen, Wang Yu, ” Wang, ” Chu Organizations: Taiwan CNN, Matsu, Taiwanese, Plant, Kuomintang, KMT, People’s Liberation Army, CNN, Visitors, Beigan, Matsu Biennial Locations: Beigan, Taiwan, China, Matsu, Taiwan’s, Taipei, Wang, Beijing
"In the context of intensified Sino-U.S. strategic competition and the Taiwan Strait conflict, we should be wary of the U.S. replicating this financial sanction model against China," wrote Chen Hongxiang, a researcher at a branch of the People's Bank of China (PBOC) in eastern Jiangsu province. Wang and several PBOC researchers wrote in articles that if the U.S. implemented Russia-style sanctions on China, Beijing should freeze U.S. investment and pension funds and seize the assets of U.S. companies. ENERGY AND ALLIANCESBesides financial sanctions, Russia's response to Western pressure on its oil, gas, metals, and chips industry has given food for thought to Chinese researchers. Chinese researchers also suggested Beijing exploit cracks within the European Union and between the U.S. and its allies. "The mutual penetration of the Chinese and American economies will inevitably weaken the willingness to impose financial sanctions," he wrote.
Persons: Thomas Peter, Chen Hongxiang, Xi Jinping, Yu Yongding, Yu, PBOC, Wang Yongli, Wang, Sun, Mou Lingzhi, Xia Fan, Ye Yan, Martin Chorzempa, Chorzempa, Chen, Eduardo Baptista, David Crawshaw Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Moscow, China, People's Bank of China, Reuters, Senior U.S, People's Liberation Army, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China International Futures, U.S ., China Center for International Economic, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China Minmetals Corporation, London Metals Exchange, Oil and Gas Exploration, Development Company, European Union, Peterson Institute for International Economics, EU, Thomson Locations: Fuzhou, Taiwan, Matsu, China, Rights BEIJING, Russia, Ukraine, Jiangsu, Beijing, Russian, U.S, Hainan, Washington, United States
U.S. revives Cold War submarine spy program to counter China
  + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +21 min
The original network of fixed spy cables, which lie in secret locations on the ocean floor, was designed to spy on Soviet submarines seven decades ago, the three people said. China, meanwhile, is working on its own maritime spy program, known as the Great Underwater Wall, two U.S. Navy sources told Reuters. Sense of urgencyAmerica’s underwater espionage program was launched in the 1950s with a submarine detection system known as the Sound Surveillance System. The U.S. Navy’s Undersea Surveillance System The United States is expanding and upgrading its anti-submarine surveillance capabilities as tensions rise with China. Japan also operates a fleet of three ocean surveillance ships, fitted with U.S. SURTASS cables, the two U.S. Navy sources said.
Persons: Captain Stephany Moore, Richard Seif, Moore, Seif, , Tim Hawkins, Mariana Trench, Brent Sadler, We're, Sadler, ” Jon Nelson, Phillip Sawyer, Sawyer, United States –, SOSUS, SubCom, Stephen Askins, Lockheed Martin, Chuck Fralick, Leidos, ” Fralick, Hawkins, Richard Jenkins, Saildrone, Joe Brock, Mohammad Kawoosa, Simon Scarr, Edgar Su, Catherine Tai Design, Eve Watling, Marla Dickerson Organizations: U.S . Navy, Navy, Undersea Surveillance Command, Undersea Surveillance, United, Submarine Force U.S . Pacific Fleet, Reuters, U.S . 5th Fleet, U.S, Pacific, China Academy of Sciences, China’s Ministry of Defense, Foreign, China Naval, U.S . Naval Forces Korea, The Heritage Foundation, Department of Defense, Naval Air Station Whidbey, Processing, Undersea, Undersea Warfare, Naval Postgraduate School, Taiwan, Ships, Titan, Navy’s, CS, U.S . Department of Defense, Lockheed, U.S . State Department, An Australian Defense, Self, Defense Force, Leidos Locations: Seattle, U.S, Whidbey, China, Taiwan, Beijing, United States, Australia, Pacific, South China, Mariana, Yap, Federated States, Micronesia, Guam, Russian, Ukraine, Washington . U.S, Washington, Soviet Union, Washington State, Virginia Beach , Virginia, Monterey , California, Japan, India, States, London, Taiwan Strait, Virginia, San Francisco
A Chinese warship fires during a military drill off the Chinese coast near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, across from the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands, China, April 11, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIJING, Sept 14 (Reuters) - China will take a number of "special" policy measures to improve access for Taiwanese enterprises to Fujian province across the Taiwan Strait, the Chinese state planner said on Thursday, under a long-term cross-strait integrated development plan. The steps are part of a plan announced by China on Tuesday to turn coastal Fujian province into a zone for integrated development with Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. He added that Beijing also supports new energy cooperation between Taiwan, which it regards as a Chinese province, and Ningde, a Fujian city north of Xiamen. Strait Innovation Internet Co (300300.SZ) and Zhongfu Straits Pingtan Development Co (000592.SZ), both based in Pingtan, rose 8% and 5%, respectively.
Persons: Thomas Peter, Liang, Ryan Woo, Ethan Wang, Jason Xue, Jacqueline Wong Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, National Development, Reform Commission, Innovation Internet, Pingtan Development, Thomson Locations: Fuzhou, Fujian Province, Taiwan, Matsu Islands, China, Rights BEIJING, Fujian, Taiwan Strait, Xiamen, Kinmen, Beijing, Pingtan, China's, Zhongfu
Hong Kong CNN —China on Tuesday unveiled a plan to deepen integration between the coastal province of Fujian and self-governing Taiwan, touting the benefits of closer cross-strait cooperation while sending warships around the island in a show of military might. The document, hailed as a “blueprint” of Taiwan’s future development by Chinese experts cited in state media, comes at a delicate moment in cross-strait relations as Taiwan gears up for its presidential election in January. Ahead of Beijing’s release of its integration plan, a Chinese aircraft carrier and around two dozen Chinese warships were spotted gathering in waters near Taiwan this week, according to Taiwanese authorities. Fujian, a province of 40 million people on the western side of the Taiwan Strait, is the closest to Taiwan both geographically and culturally. In Tuesday’s directive, Beijing pledges to further speed up integration between the city of Xiamen and Kinmen – which are only a few miles apart.
Persons: Wang Ting, ” Wang, , China’s, Kinmen, Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Communist Party’s Central, State, Communist Party, Democratic Progressive Party, Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council, CNN, Times Locations: Hong Kong, China, Fujian, Taiwan, Beijing, Kinmen, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Matsu, Taipei
Sand dredging is 'sterilising' ocean floor, UN warns
  + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsGENEVA, Sept 5 (Reuters) - Around 6 billion tons of marine sand is being dug up each year in a growing practice that a U.N. agency said is unsustainable and can wipe out local marine life irreversibly. The findings from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) coincide with the launch of a new platform 'Marine Sand Watch' backed by funding from the Swiss government that monitors dredging activities using marine tracking and artificial intelligence. "The amount of sand we are withdrawing from the environment is considerable and has a large impact," UNEP's Pascal Peduzzi told a Geneva press briefing. In some cases, companies remove all the sand to the bedrock, meaning that "life may never recover", Peduzzi added. China, the Netherlands, the United States and Belgium are among the countries most active in the sector, he said.
Persons: Ann Wang, Pascal Peduzzi, Peduzzi, Arnaud Vander Velpen, Emma Farge, Christina Fincher Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP, University of Geneva, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Swiss, Geneva, China, United States, Netherlands, Belgium
[1/5] Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen pays tribute to the fallen soldiers during a ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, in Kinmen, Taiwan August 23, 2023. REUTERS/Ann Wang Acquire Licensing RightsKINMEN, Taiwan, Aug 23 (Reuters) - Maintaining peace needs a powerful defence, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said on Wednesday, as she made a rare visit to a frontline island located right next to China, to mark the anniversary of a key military clash with Chinese forces. China has stepped up military activity to try and force democratically-governed Taiwan to accept Beijing's sovereignty, despite strong objections from the government in Taipei. Taiwan fought back at the time with support from the United States, which sent military equipment like advanced Sidewinder anti-aircraft missiles, giving Taiwan a technological edge. Taiwan has controlled Kinmen and Matsu since the defeated Republic of China government fled to Taipei in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong's communists.
Persons: Tsai Ing, Ann Wang, Taipei . Tsai, Tsai, Mao Zedong's, Fabian Hamacher, Ben Blanchard, Clarence Fernandez Organizations: REUTERS, Taiwan, U.S, Thomson Locations: Taiwan, Kinmen, China, Taipei ., United States, Taipei, Republic of China
Elon Musk’s Unmatched Power in the Stars The tech billionaire has become the dominant power in satellite internet technology. Today, more than 4,500 Starlink satellites are in the skies, accounting for more than 50 percent of all active satellites. 53% of active satellites are Starlink.” The Starlink satellites are highlighted and are all operating in low-Earth orbit. How Starlink customers connect to the internet Starlink satellites orbit at much lower altitudes than traditional satellite internet services. “Everywhere on earth will have high bandwidth, low latency internet,” Mr. Musk predicted on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2020.
Persons: Elon Musk’s, Mark, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Elon Musk, Zaluzhnyi, General Zaluzhnyi, Musk, Musk’s, , Starlink’s, ” Mykhailo Fedorov, Mr, Biden, ” Dmitri Alperovitch, Sir Martin Sweeting, Sweeting, Mike Blake, Patrick Seitzer, Rafael Schmall, Joe Rogan, Jeff Bezos, Starlink, Russia —, Fedorov, , Clodagh Kilcoyne, Nancy Pelosi, Colin H, Kahl, Lynsey Addario, messaged Mr, Lloyd Austin, Gregory C, Allen, we’ve, Mykhailo Podolyak, Volodymyr Zelensky, Jason Hsu, Hsu, “ Elon, Michael McCaul of, Tsai Ing, Tsai, Audrey Tang, Mariana Suarez, Thierry Breton, SpaceX, Chérif El, Amazon Organizations: Joint Chiefs of Staff, Ukraine’s Armed Forces, SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Mr, U.S . Defense Department, NASA, Senior Pentagon, The Defense Department, Starlink, European Union, Silverado, Accelerator, Surrey Satellite Technology, Reuters, Airbus, Earth, Getty, Satellite, University of Michigan, National Science Foundation, Rivals, Amazon, Origin, Viasat, Pentagon, CNN, The New York Times, U.S, Defense Department, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Elon, Harvard Kennedy School, Republican, House Foreign Affairs, OneWeb, Agence France, European, United Nations Locations: Ukraine, United States, Iran, Turkey, Japan, Starlink, Crimea, Russian, Starlinks, Europe, Taiwan, China, Beijing, British, Colorado, Cape Canaveral, Fla, , California, Florida, Latin America, Africa, Nigeria, Mozambique, Rwanda, Ukrainian, Russia, Kreminna, Aspen, Colo, Kherson's, Kherson, Dnipro, Shanghai, Taipei, Michael McCaul of Texas, del, Uruguay, European Union
TAIPEI, July 21 (Reuters) - Taiwan is investigating a potential leak of official documents including diplomatic cables and classified reports on the island's sensitive bid to join a global trade pact, according to two officials familiar with the probe. Taiwan and China both applied in 2021 to join the CPTPP, a landmark trade pact between 11 countries - Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. Beijing has said it strongly opposes Taiwan's membership because Taiwan is part of China and therefore ineligible to join international bodies on its own. Taiwan is however a member of the World Trade Organization, designated as a separate customs territory called Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu. Taiwan strongly rejects Chinese sovereignty claims and says only Taiwanese people can decide their future.
Persons: Taiwan's, Tsai Ing, China's, Yimou Lee, John Geddie Organizations: Reuters, Trans, Pacific, Taiwan's, National Security Bureau, World Trade Organization, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Japan, Vietnam, Washington, United States, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Britain, Beijing, Matsu, Lincoln
China holds live-fire drills in East China Sea north of Taiwan
  + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +1 min
BEIJING, June 13 (Reuters) - China began military exercises in the East China sea to the north of Taiwan on Tuesday, including live-fire exercises from warships, as the U.S and its allies conduct their drills in the Western Pacific. China routinely conducts exercises along its coast, though the ones near Chinese-claimed Taiwan often attract the most attention. The drills are near the Dachen islands, which Taiwan controlled until 1955 until being evacuated after other nearby islands were seized by Chinese forces in a bloody battle. China will hold separate exercises in another northern part of the East China Sea until late Wednesday afternoon, the maritime safety agency said. China's East China Sea exercises coincide with a quadrilateral naval exercise in the Philippine Sea that started on Friday involving the United States, Japan, Canada and France.
Persons: Mao Zedong's, Ronald Reagan, Ryan Woo, Albee Zhang, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S, Safety Administration, East China, China, U.S . 7th Fleet, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, East China, Taiwan, Western Pacific, Zhejiang, China's Fujian, Republic of China, Taipei, East, Philippine, United States, Japan, Canada, France
TAIPEI, June 11 (Reuters) - Taiwan's air force scrambled into action on Sunday after spotting 10 Chinese warplanes crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait, as the island's defence ministry said four Chinese warships also carried out combat patrols. In a short statement, Taiwan's defence ministry said that as of 2 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Sunday it had detected 24 Chinese air force planes, including J-10, J-11, J-16 and Su-30 fighters, as well as H-6 bombers. It did not specify where the aircraft flew but said 10 had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two sides and had previously served as an unofficial barrier. China's defence ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. In April, China held war games around Taiwan following a trip to the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen.
Persons: Tsai Ing, William Lai, Lai, Tsai, Laura Rosenberger, Ben Blanchard, Martin Pollard, Michael Perry, William Mallard Organizations: Taiwan, Democratic Progressive, American Institute, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, Pacific, China, Taiwan Strait, United States, Beijing, Washington, Taipei
[1/4] A Chinese warship fires at a target during a military drill near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu Islands that are close to the Chinese coast, China, April 8, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas PeterFUZHOU, China, April 8 (Reuters) - A Chinese warship in seas facing the Taiwan Strait began live-fire drills on Saturday as Beijing began military exercises it calls a warning against what it considers pro-Taiwan independence forces. China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control. Smoke and muzzle flares were visible from the stern of the warship as shells were fired on targets on land and water. When asked about Taiwan, Zhao said he hopes the two sides could "reunite" as quickly as possible.
SummarySummary Companies China starts three days of drills around TaiwanTaiwan says 71 Chinese planes crossed Taiwan Strait median lineTaiwan says it will respond calmlyChina angered by Taiwan president meeting U.S. House SpeakerAnnouncement comes shortly after French president left ChinaFUZHOU, China/TAIPEI, April 8 (Reuters) - Seventy-one Chinese military aircraft crossed the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday as China began drills around Taiwan in anger at President Tsai Ing-wen's meeting with the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. The People's Liberation Army said it had started the combat readiness patrols and "Joint Sword" exercises around Taiwan, having said earlier it would be holding them in the Taiwan Strait and to the north, south and east of Taiwan "as planned". SITUATION 'AS EXPECTED'There was no broader sense of alarm in Taiwan about the drills, where people are long accustomed to Chinese threats. European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen, also in China this week to meet Xi, said stability in the Taiwan Strait was of paramount importance. The Taiwan security source said China's recent efforts to charm foreign leaders proved in vain after the announcement of the drills.
BEIJING, April 6 (Reuters) - China's Fujian maritime safety administration launched a three-day special joint patrol and inspection operation in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait that includes moves to board ships, it said on its WeChat account. Taiwan's Transport Ministry's Maritime and Ports Bureau said in a statement late Wednesday said it has lodged a strong protest with China about the move. Areas covered by the operation include the Pingtan Taiwan direct container route, the "small three links" passenger route, the Taiwan Strait vessel customary route, the densely navigable areas of commercial and fishing vessels, and areas with frequent illegal sand mining activities. The "small three links" passenger route refers to boat routes between Taiwan's Kinmen and Matsu islands which sit opposite China and Chinese cities. The fleet, a joint special operation with East China Sea Rescue Bureau and the East China Sea Navigation Support Center, will continue to carry out cruise inspections in the central and northern parts of the Taiwan Strait over the next two days.
Three of China’s state-owned carriers – China Telecommunications Corporation (China Telecom), China Mobile Limited and China United Network Communications Group Co Ltd (China Unicom) – had committed funding as members of the consortium, which also included U.S.-based Microsoft Corp and French telecom firm Orange SA, according to six people involved in the deal. China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and Orange did not respond to requests for comment. China Telecom, China Mobile and China Unicom were resolutely behind HMN Tech, which had come in with a bid of around $500 million. China Telecom and China Mobile threatened to walk off the project, taking tens of millions of dollars of investment with them. Among them is China Telecom, which had previously won authorization to provide services in the United States.
"We are taking notes from Zelenskiy," a senior Taiwan security official said, referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's strong presence on social media. "We can't even fix sea cables on our own," the official said. "What if one day all 14 of Taiwan's undersea cables connecting us to the outside world break? Taiwan's military has long prepared back-up plans, including a fibre-optic network for communications within Taiwan, satellites, high-frequency radio, and microwave systems. "So the first step (for China) - with about 99 percent likelihood - is to cut our sea cables," Huang said.
Taiwan says it hopes to bring back soldier who went to China
  + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
TAIPEI, March 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence minister said on Tuesday that the government is investigating the disappearance of a soldier serving on an offshore island who has been found in China, and vowed to bring him back. Speaking to reporters at parliament, Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said: "We certainly hope to bring him back home. The minister denied what he called rumours that the soldier had fled from abusive treatment by the military. The soldier, serving on Erdan islet close to the Chinese coast, went missing last week and was found on Monday. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past three years stepped up military and political pressure to try and get Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty.
Taiwan says soldier who went missing has been found in China
  + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
TAIPEI, March 13 (Reuters) - A Taiwanese soldier serving on an islet close to the Chinese coast who went missing last week has been found in China, a senior Taiwan minister said on Monday, an incident that has happened amid heightened tensions. Speaking to reporters in parliament, Chiu Tai-san, head of Taiwan's China-policy making Mainland Affairs Council, said the soldier was in China. The defence ministry and relevant departments are actively aware of the relevant progress and situation," he said. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has over the past three years stepped up its military and political pressure to try and get Taiwan to accept Chinese sovereignty. During the height of the Cold War, defectors from both sides would on occasion swim between China and Kinmen.
For decades, residents of the tiny island of Dongyin, roughly 30 miles off the coast of China, have lived at the edge of tensions between Taipei and Beijing. For the past month, they’ve had a taste of what could come in the event of a conflict between the two sides. On Feb. 2, Taiwanese authorities say, a Chinese fishing boat damaged an undersea communications cable linking Dongyin, part of the outlying Taiwanese archipelago of Matsu, to Taiwan’s main island. Six days later, they said another such cable between Matsu and Taiwan was severed by a Chinese cargo vessel.
Taiwan says crashed balloon was used for weather monitoring
  + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +2 min
TAIPEI, Feb 18 (Reuters) - A balloon that came down on a remote Taiwanese-held islet close to China's coast was used for weather monitoring and had no audio-visual recording equipment on board, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Saturday after analysing the remains. The Defence Ministry said that after analysing and comparing the remains, it had determined that the balloon was carrying meteorological recording instruments "without photographic or recording audio-visual or storage-related devices". It was equipped with an antenna, temperature and humidity sensing equipment, a data transmitter board and lithium battery, a ministry statement said. According to statistics it has assembled, the ministry said "floating balloons" around the Taiwan Strait in recent years have mostly been seen between December and February, in line with the prevailing wind direction. Dongyin sits in a strategic position at the top of the Taiwan Strait and the island is well defended.
Chinese dredger boat seen from the ferry between Nangan and Dongyin, Matsu archipelago Taiwan, Aug. 30, 2022. Taiwan's military said on Thursday it had found the remains of a probable crashed weather balloon likely from China on a remote and strategically located island near the Chinese coast, amid a dispute between China and the United States over spy balloons. Taiwan, claimed by China as its own territory, has complained of increased harassment by Beijing's armed forces over the past three years, including fighter jets flying near the island and drones buzzing close to offshore islets. The sphere is about 1 meter in diameter with an instrument box marked with simplified Chinese characters — which are used in China but not Taiwan — and the wording "Taiyuan Radio No. 1 Factory Co., Ltd.," "GTS13 digital datmospheric sounding instrument" and "meteorological instrument," the army said.
TAIPEI, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan's military said on Thursday it had found the remains of a probable crashed weather balloon likely from China on a remote and strategically located island near the Chinese coast, amid a dispute between China and the United States over spy balloons. 1 Factory Co., Ltd.", "GTS13 digital datmospheric sounding instrument" and "meteorological instrument", the army said. Speaking to reporters at parliament on Friday morning, Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said the ministry has dispatched a team to investigate the crashed balloon. Dongyin sits at the top of the Taiwan Strait on an important passage for any southbound Chinese forces from the eastern province of Zhejiang if they attack Taiwan, and the island is well defended. China also deployed drones close to Taiwan-controlled islands near the Chinese coast last August when Beijing staged war games near Taiwan, which only ended after Taiwanese forces shot one down.
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