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☆ US Navy releases video of Chinese warship's 'unsafe interaction' near Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, June 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Navy has released a video of what it called an "unsafe interaction" in the Taiwan Strait, in which a Chinese warship crossed in front of a U.S. destroyer in the sensitive waterway that separates democratically governed Taiwan from China. In the video, released by the U.S. Navy late Sunday, a Chinese warship can clearly be seen sailing across the path of the Chung-Hoon in calm waters. On Saturday night, China's military rebuked the United States and Canada for "deliberately provoking risk" with the rare joint sailing. [1/2] Chinese warship Luyang III sails near the U.S. destroyer USS Chung-Hoon, as seen from the deck of U.S. destroyer, in the Taiwan Strait, June 3, 2023, in this screen grab from a handout video. Beijing has been stepping up military and political pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept its sovereignty, including staging regular manoeuvres near the island.

Persons: Chung, Hoon, Luyang, Ben Blanchard, Martin Pollard, Gerry Doyle Organizations: U.S . Navy, Information, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan Strait, U.S, Taiwan, China, The U.S, Montreal, United States, Canada, Taipei, Beijing, Chinese, South

☆ Taiwan says Chinese combat drone circled island
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

This month China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Taiwan's defence ministry, in its daily update of Chinese military activities from the previous 24 hours, said 19 military aircraft had entered the island's air defence identification zone. No shots were fired and Chinese aircraft have not flown in Taiwan's airspace. The air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, is a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols to give its forces more time to respond to threats. Chinese military aircraft have since last year regularly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides, though China says it does not recognise this.

☆ China flies combat drone around Taiwan; US Navy plane transits strait
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

This month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles. TAIWAN STRAIT MISSIONSThe tensions around Taiwan have alarmed Washington and its allies, which have repeatedly expressed concern at China's behaviour and called for no forced change in the status quo. The United States, and occasionally its allies, have routinely sent warships and aircraft through the Taiwan Strait in recent years. "The aircraft's transit of the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific." China said last year that it has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over the Taiwan Strait, and said it was "a false claim" to refer to the strait as international waters.

☆ Taiwan war games to focus on combating blockade, preserving forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military drills this year will focus on combating a blockade of the island and preserving the fighting ability of its forces, the defence ministry said on Wednesday. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military pressure over the past three years to try to assert its sovereignty claim. That will include using civilian airports and dispersing air assets, as well as how to disguise forces on the ground, the ministry said. The naval part will integrate sea, air and land forces to attack enemy forces and amphibious assault ships, and to protect sea lanes to counter blockade efforts, it said. Although Taiwan's military is generally well-trained and well-equipped with mostly U.S.-made hardware, China has huge numerical superiority and is adding advanced equipment such as stealth fighters.

☆ US warship sails through Taiwan Strait following China war games
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. warship USS Milius sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, in what the U.S. Navy described on Monday as a "routine" transit, just days after China ended its latest war games around the island. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, officially ended its three days of exercises around Taiwan last Monday where it practiced precision strikes and blockading the island. The U.S. Navy sails warships through the strait around once a month, and also regularly conducts similar freedom of navigation missions in the disputed South China Sea. Last week, the USS Milius sailed near one of the most important man-made and Chinese controlled islands in the South China Sea, Mischief Reef. China has continued its military activities around Taiwan since the drills ended, though on a reduced scale.

☆ China launches weather satellite, flights avoid no-fly zone to north of Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ann WangBEIJING/TAIPEI, April 16 (Reuters) - China launched a weather satellite on Sunday as civilian flights altered their routes to avoid a Chinese-imposed no-fly zone to the north of Taiwan which Beijing put in place because of the possibility of falling rocket debris. The no-fly announcement rattled regional nerves as it followed shortly after China staged new war games around Taiwan, which Beijing views as sovereign Chinese territory. Flights to and from Taiwan and China, Taiwan and South Korea and Taiwan and Japan were amongst those detouring around the zone on Sunday morning, according to routes tracked on Flightradar24. The zone is in an area over the East China Sea slightly northeast of Taiwan that routinely sees heavy civilian flight traffic. China has denounced what it has called hype around China's space activities and an attempt to escalate confrontation across the Taiwan Strait.

☆ Taiwan president thanks fighter pilots as Chinese drills ebb
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS/File PhotoTAIPEI, April 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Friday thanked fighter pilots who scrambled against China's air force during its drills around the island and pledged to keep strengthening the armed forces, as Beijing's military activities around the island ebbed. On Friday morning, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had not spotted any Chinese military aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait in the past 24 hours. In its regular morning report on Chinese military activities in the previous 24-hour period, Taiwan's defence ministry said it had seen four Chinese military aircraft and eight Chinese warships around Taiwan. But in an accompanying map of China's activities it did not show any Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, an unofficial boundary between the two. China says it does not recognise the median line and has since August, when it staged war games after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, flown fighter jets regularly across it.

☆ Taiwan says 14 Chinese air force planes crossed Taiwan Strait median line
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, April 12 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday that in the past 24 hours 14 Chinese air force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line, which normally serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides. Reporting by Ben Blanchard and Yimou Lee Editing by Shri NavaratnamOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan determined to safeguard freedom, democracy, President Tsai says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Ben Blanchard | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Through this trip we again sent a message to the international community that Taiwan is determined to safeguard freedom and democracy which won acknowledgment and support from our democratic partners," Tsai said as she met Canadian lawmakers at her office in Taipei. We are willing to do our utmost to jointly safeguard the values of freedom and democracy with Canada and many more like-minded international partners." Despite China announcing the three days of drills had ended as scheduled on Monday, Beijing has continued military activities around Taiwan. Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday morning that in the previous 24 hours it had detected 35 Chinese military aircraft and eight navy vessels around Taiwan. The aircraft crossing the median line included five Su-30 fighters at its northern end, with the other planes crossing at points in the centre and south.

☆ Taiwan president slams 'irresponsible' China military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 11 (Reuters) - China's military exercises have caused instability in Taiwan and the region and are irresponsible acts for a major country, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen wrote on Facebook after Beijing ended three days of drills around the island. China began the war games on Saturday after Tsai returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. "However, China used this to launch military exercises, causing instability in Taiwan and the region. China simulated precision attacks and blockades of Taiwan during the drills, sending up dozens of fighter jets and bombers. "Although China's military exercises have come to an end, the nation's military and national security team will continue to stick to their posts and defend the country," she added.

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.

☆ China sends carrier group off Taiwan coast ahead of US meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has warned of unspecified retaliation if the meeting goes ahead. China staged war games around Taiwan last August following the visit to Taipei of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "The Chinese communists continue to send aircraft and ships to encroach in the seas and airspace around Taiwan," the ministry said. China has yet to comment on the carrier group, whose appearance also coincided with the arrival in Beijing of French President Emmanuel Macron. Taiwan's defence ministry, in its statement about the Shandong's latest mission near the island, said that "external pressure will not hinder our determination to go into the world".

☆ Taiwan says 10 Chinese aircraft crossed Taiwan Strait median line
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, April 1 (Reuters) - Ten Chinese aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, normally an unofficial barrier between the two sides, Taiwan's defence ministry said on Saturday, as Beijing continues its military activities near the island. Nine Chinese fighter jets and one military drone crossed the median line in the 24 hours to 6 a.m. on Saturday (2000 GMT on Friday), the ministry said in its daily report on Chinese military activities. Taiwan sent aircraft to warn away the Chinese aircraft, while missile systems monitored them, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response. China staged war games around Taiwan in August after then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and has continued military activities near Taiwan, though on a reduced scale. Separately, nine Chinese aircraft crossed the median line on Friday carrying out combat readiness patrols, a move that Taiwan's defence ministry said has "deliberately created tension" and undermined peace and stability.

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoTAIPEI, March 31 (Reuters) - Nine Chinese aircraft crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line on Friday carrying out combat readiness patrols, Taiwan's defence ministry said, days after Beijing threatened retaliation if President Tsai Ing-wen meets U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. China, which claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory despite the strong objections of the island's government, has been angered by what it sees as stepped up U.S. support for Taiwan. "China deliberately raises tensions, but Taiwan always responds cautiously and calmly, so that the world can see that Taiwan is the responsible party in cross-Strait relations," she said. 'ALL PREPARATIONS'A senior Taiwan official familiar with security planning told Reuters the Chinese aircraft had only "slightly" encroached across the median line, and that no unusual movements by Chinese ships had been stopped. China staged war games around Taiwan last August following the visit to Taipei of then U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and has continued its military activities near Taiwan since though on a reduced scale.

☆ Taiwan sees less severe China reaction to president's U.S. meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoTAIPEI, March 30 (Reuters) - Taiwan expects a less severe reaction from China to an expected meeting between President Tsai Ing-wen and U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has not seen any unusual Chinese military movements, a senior Taiwan security official said on Thursday. Speaking at parliament, Taiwan National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen said they expected a less severe reaction to that meeting than when then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi came to Taipei and China staged war games around Taiwan after she left. "She will be meeting in the United States, so the political complexity is not as high as the speaker coming to Taiwan." But Taiwan has been keeping a close watch on China's military movements, said Tsai, adding: "At present there is nothing unusual". China is also hosting several senior foreign officials and leaders while President Tsai is away, meaning the timing would not be right for a strong military reaction against Taiwan, Tsai said.

☆ Taiwan says it has contingency plans for China moves while president abroad
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Ann Wang/File PhotoTAIPEI, March 22 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry has contingency plans for any moves by China during Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's overseas visit, Deputy Defence Minister Po Horng-huei said on Wednesday ahead of Tsai going to the United States and Central America next week. Asked by reporters on the sidelines of a parliament session whether China was likely to stage more drills when Tsai is abroad, Po said the armed forces were prepared. "When it comes to what the Chinese communists have done in the past, the defence ministry can have a grasp on it, and will consider the worse scenario," he said. "During the president's overseas visit, the defence ministry has contingency plans for all moves" by China, Po added, declining to give details. China, which has condemned Tsai's planned U.S. stop over, has continued its military activities around Taiwan since August, though on a much reduced scale.

[1/6] A view shows Cardinal III UAV on display as Taiwan's Defence Ministry showcases its domestically developed drones to the press in Taichung, Taiwan March 14, 2023. The war in Ukraine has lent new urgency to Taiwan military's efforts to bolster defence including a push to develop drones. NCSIST head Art Chang said the war in Ukraine had focused attention on drones, and his institution had teamed up with Taiwan companies to build a "national team" to develop military drones. President Tsai Ing-wen has championed the idea of "asymmetric warfare" to make Taiwan's forces more mobile and harder to attack. China has sent its drones to areas close to Taiwan to test its responses, the island's defence ministry has said.

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuTAIPEI, March 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence spending this year will focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a "total blockade" by China, including parts for F-16 fighters and replenishing weapons, the military said in a report. Xi also said that when it came to Taiwan, China must oppose pro-independence and secessionist activities and the interference of external forces. Taiwan's defence ministry said China has systematically increased the strength of its "joint combat readiness" actions around Taiwan. That is more than double the number from a year earlier and poses a "substantial threat" to Taiwan's defence, the ministry said. China has been "normalising" no-navigation zones around the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Taiwan Strait, the ministry added.

☆ 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.

☆ Taiwan reports second day of large Chinese incursion into its air defence zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, March 2 (Reuters) - Taiwan reported on Thursday a second day of a large scale Chinese air force incursion into its air defence zone, with its defence ministry saying that in the past 24 hours it had spotted 21 aircraft, as part of Beijing's ongoing military pressure campaign. Taiwan's defence ministry said the aircraft, 17 J-10 fighters and four J-16 fighters, had flown into the southwestern corner of Taiwan's air defence identification zone, according to a map the ministry released. The lightly-defended Pratas are strategically located at the top of the South China Sea and many of China's fly-bys happen nearby. Taiwan's forces monitored the situation, including sending up its own air force planes, the ministry added, using the normal phrasing for its response to such Chinese incursions. The ministry on Wednesday reported 19 Chinese aircraft flying in Taiwan's air defence zone.

☆ Taiwan reports 19 Chinese air force planes in its air defence zone
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TAIPEI, March 1 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday it had spotted 19 Chinese air force planes in its air defence zone in the past 24 hours, part of what Taipei calls regular harassment by Beijing. Taiwan's defence ministry said 19 J-10 fighters had flown into the southwestern corner of the island's air defence identification zone, or ADIZ, though closer to the Chinese coast than Taiwan's according to a map the ministry released. Taiwan's forces monitored the situation, including sending up its own air force planes, the ministry added, using the normal phrasing for its response to such Chinese incursions. No shots have been fired and the Chinese aircraft have been flying in Taiwan's ADIZ, not in its territorial air space. The ADIZ is a broader area Taiwan monitors and patrols that acts to give it more time to respond to any threats.

☆ China says U.S. 'endangered' peace with Taiwan Strait fly-through
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIJING/TAIPEI, Feb 27 (Reuters) - China accused the United States of "endangering" peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance military plane flew through the sensitive waterway on Monday. Beijing has been incensed by U.S. military missions through the narrow strait, most frequently of warships but occasionally of aircraft, saying China "has sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction" over the waterway. Taiwan and the United States dispute that saying it is an international waterway. "The U.S. side's actions deliberately interfered with and disrupted the regional situation and endangered peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. The United States has previously said such missions show the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

☆ 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.

☆ Pentagon's top China official travels to Taiwan, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. Speaking earlier, Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said he was "not very certain" about a report that the trip would take place. Chase would be the most senior U.S. defence official known to have visited the island since 2019. China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, has repeatedly demanded that foreign officials not visit the democratically governed island. In 2020, a two-star Navy admiral overseeing U.S. military intelligence in the Asia-Pacific region made an unannounced visit to Taiwan.

☆ Taiwan finds crashed weather balloon on remote island, likely Chinese
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

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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