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[1/4] Taiwan's Air Force's Mirage 2000-5 aircraft is seen at Hsinchu Air Base, in Hsinchu, Taiwan, January 11, 2023. REUTERS/Ann WangHSINCHU, Taiwan, Jan 11 (Reuters) - A Taiwan air force officer revealed details on Wednesday of a rare interaction between the island's military and NATO, describing how he had attended a six month academic programme with senior officials in Italy. Speaking to reporters on a trip to the Hsinchu air base in northern Taiwan, air force Lieutenant Colonel Wu Bong-yeng said he had attended a six month course at the NATO Defence College in Rome in 2021, returning to Taiwan in January last year. Taiwan's defence ministry told Reuters that Wu was not the first officer it had sent to the defence college. In August, China staged large-scale war games around Taiwan to express anger at then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taipei.

☆ Taiwan president offers China help to deal with COVID surge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-01 | by ( Jeanny Kao | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Jan 1 (Reuters) - Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday offered to provide China with "necessary assistance" to help it deal with a surge in COVID-19 cases, but said Chinese military activities near the island were not beneficial to peace and stability. Taiwan and China have repeatedly sparred over their respective measures to control the spread of COVID. China had criticised Taiwan for ineffective management of the pandemic after soaring domestic infections last year, while Taiwan has accused China of a lack of transparency and trying to interfere with vaccine supplies to Taiwan, which Beijing has denied. "But I want to remind people - the military activities of the People's Liberation Army near Taiwan are not at all conducive to cross-strait relations nor regional peace and stability," she added. China staged war games near the island in August after then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei, and those military activities have continued.

☆ U.S. approves potential sale of anti-tank systems to Taiwan for $180 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan for an estimated $180 million, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are the prime contractors for the potential sale. U.S. law requires the executive branch to notify Congress of potential arms sales that are over a certain amount. "The Chinese Communist Party's frequent military activities near Taiwan have posted severe military threats to us," the ministry said, adding that continuous U.S. military sales are the "cornerstone of maintaining regional stability and peace." Taiwan strongly rejects Beijing's sovereignty claim and says it will defend itself if attacked.

☆ Taiwan to extend compulsory military service on China threat - government source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Taiwan will announce on Tuesday a plan to extend compulsory military service to one year from the current four months, according to a senior government official, as the island deals with rising Chinese military pressure. "China's various unilateral behaviours have become a major concern for regional security," said the person, who took part in the high-level security discussion. The official Central News Agency, citing government and ruling party sources familiar with the matter, first reported late on Monday that her government would on Tuesday announce the plan to extend compulsory military service. read moreChina also staged war games near Taiwan in August following a visit to Taipei by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. China has stepped up its diplomatic, military and economic pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijing's rule.

☆ Taiwan to extend compulsory military service on China threat -government source
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

☆ Taiwan says 43 Chinese air force planes crossed Taiwan Strait median line
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Forty-three Chinese air force planes crossed the Taiwan Strait's median line in the past 24 hours, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Monday, as Beijing continues its military activities close to the Chinese-claimed island. Taiwan, which strongly rejects China's sovereignty claims, said the drills showed Beijing was destroying regional peace and trying to cow Taiwan's people. The jets involved in the latest incursion briefly crossed the median line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait, an unofficial buffer, according to a map provided by Taiwan's defence ministry. Seven Chinese navy ships were also detected near Taiwan, the ministry said. Taiwan sent unspecified combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems monitored their flight, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.

☆ China stages 'strike drills' around Taiwan, citing provocation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A Taiwan flag can be seen at Liberty Square in Taipei, Taiwan, July 28, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangBEIJING, Dec 25 (Reuters) - China's military said it had conducted "strike drills" in the sea and airspace around Taiwan on Sunday in response to unspecified "provocation" from the democratically-governed island and the United States. "This is a resolute response to the current escalation of collusion and provocation from the United States and Taiwan," it added, without giving details. The ministry publishes a daily report at 9 a.m. (0100 GMT) of Chinese military activities near the island over the previous 24 hours. The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer and arms supplier, despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

☆ Taiwan scrambles jets to warn away Chinese air force incursion
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Taiwan scrambled combat jets to warn away 39 Chinese aircraft that entered its southeastern air defence zone, the island's defence ministry said on Thursday. Taiwan has complained of repeated missions by the Chinese air force over the last two years, often in southern areas of its air defence identification zone, or ADIZ. Thursday's incursion included 21 fighters and four H-6 bombers, as well as early warning, antisubmarine and aerial refuelling aircraft, Taiwan's defence ministry said in a report detailing Chinese activities in its ADIZ over the last 24 hours. Three Chinese navy ships were also detected near Taiwan, the ministry said. Taiwan sent unspecified combat aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems monitored their flight, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.

☆ U.S. to boost Taiwan's stretched air force with $428 mln in spare parts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Taiwan's air force is well-equipped but ageing, and is dwarfed by that of China's. The Pentagon, in two statements late Tuesday, said the parts would support Taiwan's F-16s, Indigenous Defence Fighter jets and all other aircraft and systems or subsystems of U.S. origin. Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Wednesday the sale was expected to "take effect" within one month, and offered its thanks. Taiwan's presidential office, noting this was the seventh arms sale approved by the Biden administration, said the latest approval would enhance Taiwan's combat power. China has repeatedly demanded the United States stop selling weapons to Taiwan and has put sanctions on U.S. arms manufacturers.

☆ More frequent Chinese patrols put 'heavy burden' on aging Taiwan frigates
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TAIPEI, Oct 11 (Reuters) - The stepped up intensity of Chinese naval patrols near Taiwan since August is putting a "heavy burden" on the island's aging frigate fleet, which is struggling to maintain combat readiness, the Taiwanese defence ministry said on Tuesday. China had expanded the area in which the ships operate from "time to time" patrols in the Taiwan Strait to regularly sending them into the waters off southwest and northern Taiwan, it said. The Chi Yang-class frigates were built by the United States in the 1970s and commissioned by Taiwan in 1992. The ministry did not say how many such new ships Taiwan is planning to build beyond 2025. It said the new frigates of about 2,000-tonnes would be similar to their Chinese counterparts in size and more adaptable to react to the regular presence of Chinese ships near Taiwan, which include China's Type 056 corvettes and Type 053H3 frigates.

A Taiwan Coast Guard ship travels past the coast of China, in the waters off Nangan island of Matsu archipelago in Taiwan August 16, 2022. REUTERS/Ann WangTAIPEI, Sept 23 (Reuters) - A Chinese blockade of Taiwan or the seizure of an offshore island would be considered an act of war and Taiwan would not surrender, a senior Taiwanese security official told Reuters using unusually strong and direct language. Chinese military action might not be as straightforward as a full frontal assault on Taiwan: it could include actions like a blockade to try to force Taiwan to accept China's rule, strategists say. To show its anger, China mounted military exercises around Taiwan that included firing missiles and steps to mount a blockade. "A blockade is an act of war; seizing an offshore island is an act of war," the official said, adding Taipei believed Beijing was unlikely to take either of those actions at the moment.

☆ Taiwan says five Chinese aircraft crossed Taiwan Strait median line
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said 12 Chinese aircraft and five Chinese ships were detected operating around Taiwan on Sunday, including five aircraft that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, as Beijing continued military activities near the island. China has been carrying out drills near Taiwan, which it claims as Chinese territory despite strong objections from the government in Taipei, since earlier this month following a visit to the island by U.S. House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by David ClarkeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan says strait median line is a 'fact'
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The median line in the Taiwan Strait is a tacit understanding that has existed since the 1950s and its existence is a "fact", Taiwan's Defence Ministry said on Monday, after Chinese ships and planes repeatedly crossed it during drills. Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Toby ChopraOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan says detected 66 Chinese aircraft in strait on Sunday
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 7 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said it had detected 66 Chinese air force planes and 14 Chinese warships conducting activities in and around the Taiwan Strait on Sunday. Reporting by Liang-sa Loh; Writing by Ben Blanchard Editing by Raissa KasolowskyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan scrambles jets as Chinese aircraft cross median line
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Taiwan scrambled jets on Saturday to warn away 20 Chinese aircraft including 14 that crossed the Taiwan Strait median line, Taiwan's defence ministry said. It also detected 14 Chinese military ships conducting activities around the Taiwan Strait, the ministry said in a statement. Reporting by Meg Shen; editing by Jason NeelyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Taiwan says it fired flares to drive away suspected drones near Kinmen
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-04 | by ( Yimou Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

TAIPEI, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence ministry said on Thursday that unidentified aircraft, probably drones, had flown on Wednesday night above the area of its Kinmen islands and that it had fired flares to drive them away. Major General Chang Zone-sung of the Army's Kinmen Defense Command told Reuters that the Chinese drones came in a pair and flew into the Kinmen area twice on Wednesday night, at around 9 p.m. (1300 GMT). and 10 p.m."We immediately fired flares to issue warnings and to drive them away. The heavily fortified Kinmen islands are just off the southeastern coast of China, near the city of Xiamen. Last week, Taiwan's military fired flares to warn away a drone that "glanced" its Matsu archipelago off the coast of China's Fujian province and was possibly probing its defences, Taiwan's defence ministry said.

Persons: Nancy Pelosi, General Chang, Chang, Yimou Lee, Tony Munroe, Muralikumar Anantharaman, Stephen Coates Organizations: U.S . House, Kinmen Defense Command, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TAIPEI, Taiwan, China, Xiamen, China's Fujian

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