A report released on Wednesday by Taiwan's defense ministry calls for closer alliances with the United States, Japan and other countries in a rebuke to China's military threat.
The annual National Defense Report of the Ministry of Defense outlines strategies for countering China, and Taiwan's continued role as a "defender of peace" in the region. It encourages the Indo-Pacific Strategy of defense -- which involves the United States, Australia, Japan, Singapore South Korea and the Philippines -- and notes the growth of the indigenous Taiwanese defense industry.
Taiwan, formally known as the Republic of China, is an island nation off the coast of China and is regarded by China as a breakaway province, eventually to return. Its 2019 defense budget of $11.1 billion is dwarfed by China's budget of $167 billion, and China has increased its military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which separates the two countries.
China poses a challenge to Taiwan's security as it attempts to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese Defense Minister Yen De-fa said in the report. An incident in March, when Chinese military aircraft crossed the de facto maritime border, was cited.
The report added that China has not relinquished a plan of armed aggression against Taiwan, and its acceleration of military modernization is upsetting the military balance between the two countries.
In August, the United States agreed to sell up to $8 billion worth of arms, including 66 F-16 fighter jets, to Taiwan, a package that Taiwan has sought for over a decade.
China questions Canadian 'intentions' after warship sails through Taiwan Strait
Beijing (AFP) Sept 11, 2019 - China Wednesday questioned Canada's "intentions" behind sending a warship to traverse the Taiwan Strait, amid frosty relations between Beijing and Ottawa.
A Canadian frigate passed through the strategic waterway on Tuesday in a "freedom of navigation" operation, Taiwanese authorities said, the latest such voyage by a Western navy to anger Beijing.
China views any passing through the narrow channel separating Taiwan and the Chinese mainland as a breach of its sovereignty -- while the US and many other nations see the route as international space.
"The Chinese side does not limit the normal passage of foreign warships through the Taiwan Strait," Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a regular briefing.
"But I don't know what special intentions the Canadian side has in deliberately making high-profile announcements about its warship (crossing the Taiwan Strait)."
Taiwan has been run as a de facto independent nation for the last seven decades but Beijing sees the democratic island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
"We hope that Canada will demonstrate its respect for China's sovereignty and security through practical actions," Hua said.
Canada's de facto embassy in Taipei said in a statement Monday that sailing through the strait is "the most practical route" between South Korea's Pyeongtaek and the Thai capital Bangkok.
"The HMCS Ottawa's current deployment is consistent with past Royal Canadian Navy practice and international law," it added.
In June, a Canadian frigate and its supporting vessel also sailed through the Taiwan Strait.
Relations between China and Canada have deteriorated since December when police in Vancouver detained Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou on a US arrest warrant over charges of Iran sanctions violations.
Days after her arrest, China detained two Canadians -- a former diplomat and a businessman -- and later accused them of espionage-related actions in what is seen as a tit-for-tat move.
China has also blocked Canadian agricultural shipments worth billions of dollars.
Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com
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Canadian frigate sails through Taiwan Strait; Solomons urged not to switch allegiance
Taipei (AFP) Sept 10, 2019
A Canadian frigate was passing through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Taipei's defence ministry said, in the latest of a string of such voyages likely to provoke Beijing. The ministry said in a statement it was closely monitoring as the Canadian warship sailed through the narrow waterway separating the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in a "freedom of navigation" operation. It did not identify the vessel. In June, a Canadian frigate and its supporting vessel sailed through the Strait as relations be ... read more
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