China Angers Taiwan - Taiwan Angers China

[Randy W]

#Taiwan question is different from #Ukraine’s situation. DPP’s (Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party)  linking of the two shows extreme desperation, and is making the same mistake by serving as a pawn of the US and Western forces: experts

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1253020.shtml

from the Global Times on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/5028171707263689

DPP's Taiwan-Ukraine comparison self-indulging: mainland official

By Deng Xiaoci
Published: Feb 23, 2022 11:51 PM

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The secessionist Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Taiwan is self-indulging in expressing so-called empathy for Ukraine's situation, which hides the DPP's malicious intent to "internationalize" the Taiwan question, a purely internal affair, and hype anti-mainland sentiments on the island, mainland authorities said Wednesday. 

Chinese observers from the mainland and the island reached by the Global Times on Wednesday pointed out that the Taiwan question is different from Ukraine's situation, and it goes contrary to common sense for the DPP authority to ignore the untrustworthy nature of US promises as it continues to play along with the US and Western media to compare the issue to the Ukraine situation, which only shows that secessionist forces on the island have become extremely desperate.

Taiwan has never been a sovereign state and the Taiwan question is China's internal affairs instead of an international issue, and China's approach to promoting and realizing its national reunification has nothing to do with the Ukraine crisis, they said.

 

 

NY Times 
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/10152877973149999

Taiwan's foreign ministry has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The self-governed island claimed by Beijing called the attack a violation of the UN charter.
Follow our live updates on Ukraine.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

Now I'm seeing a "The West has abandoned us" narrative on CGTN concerning Ukraine.

I wonder who they can be targeting with that message?

While the DPP authority in Taiwan is “self-indulging” in empathy for #Ukraine, netizens from across the Taiwan Straits mocked them for being pathetic to believe that the US will stand with them if a war breaks out in the Straits as Taiwan is not Ukraine. https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202202/1253164.shtml

from the Global Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/globaltimesnews/posts/5031091630305030

DPP mocked of being ‘pathetic, desperate’ to connect Taiwan with Ukraine for US protection
Dream of secessionists to get shelter to soon disappear: experts

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While the Taiwan question has become one of the hottest topics in international news in 2021, and concerns over a potential war in the Straits are rising sharply, official voices of the mainland still adhere to the basic policy to do its best to achieve peaceful reunification, but will not commit itself to ruling out the use of force.

However, the Ukraine tension has also caused rising sentiment about "reunification with Taiwan by force" on Chinese social media as some netizens from the Chinese mainland believe that the rising provocation from the secessionist DPP authority, as well as the US which is playing the "Taiwan card" to harm China's security and sovereignty, has worn out the mainland's patience, ignored its kindness to seek a peaceful reunification and constantly pushed the situation to the verge of war.

 

 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Randy W (see edit history)

[Randy W]

 . . . and this.

Tsai Ing-wen's empathy for Ukraine ridiculous: China Daily editorial

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The mainland will try whatever it can to seek the peaceful reunification of the island, which it believes is in the interests of the Chinese people across the Straits. But military action is always an option the central government will never exclude.

Tsai and her clique should never underestimate the resolve of the central government to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country.

It cannot be clearer to anyone across the Straits that it is in the interests of Chinese people on the island for the Taiwan authorities to accept the one-China principle. By seeking "independence" for the island, Tsai and her clique are putting their own political ambition and interest before the well-being of the people on the island.

If Tsai means what she said about peace and security in the region and across the Straits and cares about the well-being of the people on the island, she should uphold the one-China principle.

 

 

[Randy W]

Latest US congressional group lands in Taiwan, will meet President Tsai Ing-wen

• Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez, who leads latest delegation, is known for his friendly stance towards the self-ruled island
• The bipartisan group of six landed in Taipei on Thursday night for a brief visit

Bob Menendez and other members of the US delegation pose with Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (fourth left) at Taipei Songshan airport. Photo: via Reuters

from the SCMP

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The delegation, comprising Bob Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and four Republican senators – including Lindsey Graham from South Carolina – as well as a Republican congressman, is expected to leave on Friday evening after a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen.
Others in the group are senators Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Ben Sasse (R- Nebraska), Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and House Representative Ronny Jackson (R-Texas).

 . . .

He warned the US against “walking further and further along a dangerous path” and said Beijing would take “forceful measures to resolutely uphold Chinese sovereignty and territorial integrity”.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

China will not concede to the US either on the Taiwan issue or its relations with Russia
The Chinese mainland will further demonstrate its sovereignty over the island of Taiwan through military means and eliminate the erosion of sovereignty caused by collusion between the US and Taiwan: Global Times Commentator Hu Xijin

"The US will suffer."

 

[Randy W]

China sent 18 warplanes, including fighters and bombers, into Taiwan’s air defence zone, prompting the island’s air force to scramble jets in response ⤵️

from AL Jazeera English on Facebook 
https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/posts/10160760937423690

China makes second largest incursion into Taiwan air defence zone
Eighteen aircraft, including fighters and bombers, entered Taiwan’s air defence zone, prompting the scrambling of jets.

Taiwan Air Force F-16 fighter jets during a military exercise in 2015 [File: Patrick Lin/Reuters]

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Taipei’s defence ministry said the Chinese aircraft crossed into the island’s air defence zone on Friday, forcing the scrambling of Taiwanese aircraft and the deployment of air defence missile systems to track the Chinese planes.

 . . .

There was no immediate comment from China’s Defence Ministry.

 

 

[Randy W]

Taiwanese radio enthusiast tunes in as Chinese warplanes crowd sensitive skies

Taiwanese radio enthusiasts like Robin Hsu have been tuning in to air traffic in Taiwan’s southern skies. Hsu details the time, altitude and content of messages, then releases the recordings on a Facebook page.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/369119635202874/

 

 

[Randy W]

The West takes talk of military action VERY seriously - China's actions speak just as loudly as their words.

Taiwan sends jets to warn off Chinese planes in air defence zone
Chinese air incursion involved 17 fighters, six H-6 bombers, and electronic warfare and anti-submarine planes.

Taiwanese air force pilots run past an armed United States-made F-16V fighter at an air force base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan, in January 2022 [File: Sam Yeh/AFP]

from Al Jazeera

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The latest Chinese mission included 17 fighters and six H-6 bombers, as well as electronic warfare, early warning, anti-submarine, and an aerial refuelling aircraft, Taiwan’s defence ministry said.

Taiwan sent fighter aircraft to warn away the Chinese planes, while missile systems were deployed to monitor their route, the ministry said, using standard wording for its response.

 . . .

Some of the Chinese aircraft flew in an area to the northeast of the Pratas, according to a map the ministry of defence provided. The bombers, accompanied by an electronic warfare and an intelligence gathering aircraft, flew into the Bashi Channel, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines, and then into the Pacific before turning back to China.

 

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Lessons for China from the Ukrainian war - the West takes talk of military activity VERY seriously.

Taiwan conducts largest-ever disaster preparedness drill amid fears of a mainland China attack

Taiwan conducted its largest-ever disaster preparedness exercise on July 14, with more than 1,800 personnel taking part in the exercises.

from the SCMP on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/scmp/videos/558659792409306/

[Randy W]

China’s 72-hour spectacle of missiles, warships and jet fighters swarming Taiwan was designed to deter Taiwan from moving further away from Beijing. But it also narrows hopes for winning over the island through negotiations.

from the NY Times on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/nytimes/posts/pfbid0eF4TeSBckhpELHDtvnjerqMzRxzcr4esU5GS9FY6baZeBaX7LsaH5c3wuHruyBqzl

See also CFL Topic Nancy Pelosi's Visit

After China’s Military Spectacle, Options Narrow for Winning Over Taiwan
The exercises were designed to deter Taiwan from moving further away from Beijing, but they also indicated how few policy carrots China has.

People lined up near the Hsinchu Military Air Base in Taiwan on Friday.Credit...Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

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“We’re maintaining a high state of alert, ready for battle at all times, able to fight at any time,” declared Zu Guanghong, a Chinese navy captain in a People’s Liberation Army video about the exercises, which were expected to end on Sunday. “We have the determination and ability to mount a painful direct attack against any invaders who would wreck unification of the motherland, and would show no mercy.”

But even if China’s display of military might discourages other Western politicians from emulating Nancy Pelosi, who enraged Beijing by visiting Taiwan, it also narrows hopes for winning over the island through negotiations. Beijing’s shock and awe tactics may deepen skepticism in Taiwan that it can ever reach a peaceful and lasting settlement with the Chinese Communist Party, especially under Xi Jinping as its leader.

 . . .

“They’re as bullying as always,” he said, adding a Chinese saying, “digging deep in soft soil,” which means “give them an inch and they will take a mile.”

 . . .

The result may be deepening mutual distrust that some experts warn could, at an extreme, bring Beijing and Washington into all-out conflict.

“It’s not about to be a blow up tomorrow, but it elevates the overall probability of crisis, conflict or even war with the Americans over Taiwan,” said Kevin Rudd, the former Australian prime minister who previously worked as a diplomat in Beijing.

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Maps: Tracking Tensions Between China and Taiwan

Aug. 7, 2022

 

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Taiwan’s military reported that Chinese military aircraft have entered what it calls its “Air Defense Identification Zone” or crossed the Taiwan Strait median line at least 131 times during this period.

Japan’s defense ministry reported multiple flights of Chinese military drones near Miyakojima, one of Japan’s westernmost islands, on Aug. 4. This was just two days after Japan reported that at least five Chinese missiles had landed in its exclusive economic zone.

 

Notice that the drones avoided both Taiwan airspace and the nearby Japanaese islands. I believe, but am not sure, that only one missile passed over the island of Taiwan.

[Randy W]

China's First White Paper on Taiwan Since Xi Came to Power — In Full

from Bloomberg

China on Wednesday published its first white paper on Taiwan since Xi Jinping came to power, refusing to rule out force in its bid for unification and blaming the island’s “independence seeking” ruling party for deepening the dispute with Beijing.

The paper, which stated China “will tolerate no foreign interference in Taiwan,” comes days after China held unprecedented military drills around the island in the wake of a visit to Taipei by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Here’s the white paper in full:

The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era

The People's Republic of China

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council and The State Council Information Office

 

 

[Randy W]

‘Highly unacceptable’: Taiwan rejects Beijing’s ‘one country, two systems’ plans for unification

• Island says it is absurd for Beijing to promote its so-called peaceful unification scheme while surrounding Taiwan with war games
• Island’s top weapons maker says it will conduct missile tests this month

Taiwanese soldiers fire howitzers during an annual live-fire military exercise in Pingtung county, southern Taiwan, on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
 

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Taiwan has flatly rejected a policy white paper issued by Beijing as highly unacceptable, saying cross-strait unification and “one country, two systems” would never be options for the self-ruled island.

It also plans to stage four days of missile tests later this month in waters off Taiwan’s east coast – one of the areas where the People’s Liberation Army just concluded a series of massive war games to intimidate the island.

According to the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, the island’s top weapons maker, it will conduct missile tests on August 18-19 and August 25-26 in areas off southeastern and eastern Taiwan.

The tests will be held about 200km (125 miles) from Taitung facing the Pacific Ocean and will not cross the median line in the Taiwan Strait, the de facto boundary between the two sides.

 

 

 

 

[Randy W]

Taiwan vows to respond to China’s military flight incursions

from AP News

"An incursion into Taiwanese airspace by a Chinese warplane would count as a first strike"

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Taiwan’s defense minister on Wednesday said the island will respond to incursions into its airspace by Chinese warplanes and drones, but gave no details on specific actions.

Responding to questions from legislators, Chiu Kuo-cheng said China’s newly aggressive stance had changed what Taiwan would define as a “first strike” that would necessitate a response.

 . . .

“We initially said we do not make the first strike ... if they haven’t done the first strike, which means firing a projectile or a missile,” Chiu said. “But the situation has obviously changed.”

Asked by legislator Lo Chih-cheng of the governing Democratic Progressive Party if an incursion into Taiwanese airspace by a Chinese warplane would count as a first strike, Chiu responded in the affirmative.

 . . .

“We have a system. We do inventory every month,” Chen told lawmakers. “We will insure we have a certain period of stockpile in Taiwan, including food, including critical supply, minerals, chemicals and energy of course.”

Chen also said Taiwan was firm in safeguarding trade secrets and key national technologies and ensuring its top scientific talent is not poached by China. Export controls are in place to ensure Taiwanese products cannot be used in the Chinese military, he said, adding those measures were being constantly updated in consultation with allied nations and any loopholes were swiftly plugged.

“Those measures, we will implement very firmly,” Chen said.

 

 

[Randy W]

China ‘sends record number of fighter jets’ toward Taiwan
China conducts ‘strike drills’ around Taiwan in protest against US defence support for self-ruled island.

from Al Jazeera

A Chinese J-11 military fighter jet flies above the Taiwan Strait on Friday, August 5, 2022 [File: Ng Han Guan/ AP]

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The Chinese military has sent 71 planes and seven ships towards Taiwan, according to the Taiwanese defence ministry, marking the biggest daily incursion yet as Beijing protested against “collusion and provocation” by the self-ruled island and the United States.

 . . .

Among the Chinese planes were 18 J-16 fighter jets, 11 J-1 fighters, six Su-30 fighters, and drones.

 . . .

It did not specify the nature of the alleged provocations, but Beijing has been angered by Taiwan-related provisions in a recently approved US defence spending bill.

The $858bn legislation, which US President Joe Biden signed on Friday, authorises increased security cooperation with Taiwan and requires expanded cooperation with India on emerging defence technologies, readiness and logistics.