Gilday was asked about Xi’s speech and whether he agreed with comments by another US admiral that Beijing would be ready to take Taiwan by 2027….reports Asian Lite News
Chief of US Naval Operations (CNO) has warned the country’s military to be ready for response to a potential invasion of Taiwan as soon as this year.
In a discussion with a think-tank, CNO Admiral Michael Gilday, raised concerns that China’s President Xi Jinping may be much more willing than previously thought to seize Taiwan.
Xi Jinping, who is on the cusp of securing a third five-year term, delivering a landmark Communist Party Congress speech on Sunday where he restated his vow to one day “reunify,” or forcefully take, Taiwan, the AFP reported.
Gilday was asked about Xi’s speech and whether he agreed with comments by another US admiral that Beijing would be ready to take Taiwan by 2027.
“It’s not just what President Xi says, it’s how the Chinese behave and what they do,” Gilday told the Atlantic Council, AFP reported.
“And what we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it.”
“So when we talk about the 2027 window in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window,” he added, it was reported.
Taiwan’s unification agenda is the number one priority for President Xi Jinping and he is bent on realizing this vision, media reports said quoting analysts as saying.
Analysts noted that it is not just words for Xi but he is actually mooting a systematic action plan to unify Taiwan into the mainland. “He does not regard it as just a slogan. It is an action plan that must be implemented,” said Chang Wu-ueh, an adviser to Taiwan’s government, reported Washington Post in an article written by columnist Ishaan Tharoor.
“Before, leaders talked about unification as something to be achieved in the long run. Now, it’s number one on the agenda,” he added.
Analysts noted that it is not just words for Xi but he is actually mooting a systematic action plan to unify Taiwan into the mainland….reports Asian Lite News
Taiwan’s unification agenda is the number one priority for Chinese President Xi Jinping and he is bent on realizing this vision, media reports said quoting analysts as saying.
Analysts noted that it is not just words for Xi but he is actually mooting a systematic action plan to unify Taiwan into the mainland. “He does not regard it as just a slogan. It is an action plan that must be implemented,” said Chang Wu-ueh, an adviser to Taiwan’s government, reported Washington Post in an article written by columnist Ishaan Tharoor.
“Before, leaders talked about unification as something to be achieved in the long run. Now, it’s number one on the agenda,” he added.
Moreover, the article also talks about the retirement age in the Chinese Communist Party saying that it solely depends on whether the party official is a loyalist to Chinese President Xi Jinping or not. Across the machinery of the Communist Party, Xi has installed loyal lieutenants in positions of influence.
Post article citing Wall Street Journal said, “all but seven of the 281 members of the Communist Party’s provincial-level Standing Committees” are Xi appointees.
“It’s not about age anymore,” Yang Zhang, a sociologist at American University’s School of International Service, told China correspondent for The Washington Post, Christian Shepherd. The sociologist was referring to the unofficial retirement ages that circumscribed the careers of ambitious party officials. “It’s about whether you are on Xi’s side,” Zhang added.
China’s global image has been tarnished by Xi’s assertive nationalism and Beijing’s perceived bullying on the world stage. Xi has spent the past decade cracking down on potential rivals through the pretext of mass anti-corruption purges, while further restricting the already tiny space afforded to Chinese civil society, reported Washington Post.
Another interesting point put forth in the article was about the reality behind China’s economic prowess under Xi Jinping. Busting the myth, a senior analyst highlighted that general economic approach adopted by Xi’s predecessors is the main reason for China’s growth.
“China’s growth during Xi’s decade in power is attributable mainly to the general economic approach adopted by his predecessors, which focused on rapid expansion through investment, manufacturing, and trade,” said Neil Thomas, a senior analyst for China and Northeast Asia at Eurasia Group, to CNN, reported Post.
“But this model had reached a point of significantly diminishing returns and was increasing economic inequality, financial debt, and environmental damage,” Thomas said.
A soldier looks through binoculars during combat exercises and training of the navy of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in the waters around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 5, 2022. (Photo by Lin Jian/Xinhua/IANS)
‘Will never renounce use of force’
During his opening speech Sunday morning at the start of the Party Congress, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to speed up efforts to build the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military”, local media reported.
To achieve that, the Chinese military should uphold the party’s “absolute leadership”, modernise its theory, organisation, personnel and weapons, Xi was quoted as saying by the CNN.
He pledged to improve the PLA’s ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to “effectively fulfill the mission of the people’s army in the new era.”
To do this, the military must build a strong system of strategic deterrence, increase the proportion of combat forces in new areas and deepen military training for real combat, he said.
Xi also raised the possibility of confrontation when discussing democratic Taiwan — which the Communist Party claims as its territory, despite never having controlled the self-governing island, CNN reported.
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest of sincerity and the upmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” Xi said.
Xi gave a stern warning on Taiwan during his speech on Sunday, saying China would achieve reunification with the self-governing island by force if necessary.
He added that his words were “directed solely at interference by outside forces and a few separatists seeking Taiwan independence”.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it.
Xi’s remarks on Taiwan drew the greatest level of applause through his speech, which ran just short of two hours, CNN reported. (ANI/IANS)
Xi also raised the possibility of confrontation when discussing democratic Taiwan — which the Communist Party claims as its territory…reports Asian Lite News
During his opening speech Sunday morning at the start of the Party Congress, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed to speed up efforts to build the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into a “world-class military”, local media reported.
To achieve that, the Chinese military should uphold the party’s “absolute leadership”, modernise its theory, organisation, personnel and weapons, Xi was quoted as saying by the CNN.
He pledged to improve the PLA’s ability to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, and to “effectively fulfill the mission of the people’s army in the new era.”
To do this, the military must build a strong system of strategic deterrence, increase the proportion of combat forces in new areas and deepen military training for real combat, he said.
Xi also raised the possibility of confrontation when discussing democratic Taiwan — which the Communist Party claims as its territory, despite never having controlled the self-governing island, CNN reported.
“We will continue to strive for peaceful reunification with the greatest of sincerity and the upmost effort, but we will never promise to renounce the use of force and we reserve the option of taking all measures necessary,” Xi said.
Xi gave a stern warning on Taiwan during his speech on Sunday, saying China would achieve reunification with the self-governing island by force if necessary.
He added that his words were “directed solely at interference by outside forces and a few separatists seeking Taiwan independence”.
China’s ruling Communist Party claims Taiwan as its territory, despite never having controlled it.
Xi’s remarks on Taiwan drew the greatest level of applause through his speech, which ran just short of two hours, CNN reported.
Most agreed that Musk is largely driven by the business interests and stakes he has in China and therefore holds a subjective view of cross-strait issues…reports Asian Lite News
A suggestion by Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk that Taiwan could be made a special administrative zone of China has provoked a backlash both from China and the self-governing island.
Musk’s comment not only infringes national sovereignty but also harms democracy, Democratic Progressive Party Spokesperson Huang Tsai-lin said on Saturday, reported Taiwan News.
China’s state-run Central Television News issued an article titled, “Musk steps out of line in discussing China’s Taiwan issue, Foreign Ministry responds.”
The article reported that during a routine press conference held by the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Spokesperson Mao Ning responded to a question about Musk’s “inappropriate statement.”
Mao claimed in her answer that “the Taiwan issue is China’s domestic politics.” She added that China will “resolutely suppress interference by foreign forces,” a familiar statement often used in Chinese propaganda which, in this case, appears to refer to Musk, reported Taiwan News. Meanwhile, Huang said Musk does not condemn the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) misconduct, but he instead “caters to the threat of the aggressor by sacrificing Taiwan’s independence, completely ignoring the limitless ambitions of authoritarian rulers.”
In a Friday (October 7) interview with the Financial Times titled, “Elon Musk: ‘Aren’t you entertained?’” the world’s richest man admitted to being a fan of China. He recommended figuring out “a special administrative zone for Taiwan that is reasonably palatable” and “more lenient than Hong Kong.”
The statement immediately sparked outrage in Taiwan, with politicians from major political parties including the Democratic Progressive Party, Kuomintang, New Power Party, and Taiwan People’s Party issuing statements denouncing Musk’s remarks, reported Taiwan News.
Most agreed that Musk is largely driven by the business interests and stakes he has in China and therefore holds a subjective view of cross-strait issues.
The CCP’s series of actions in recent years include conducting military exercises around Taiwan after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan in August, establishing a military base in the South China Sea to expand its sphere of influence, and influencing the United Nations (UN), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other international organizations.
Huang said the actions of the CCP threaten global and regional peace and stability and have caused the US, EU, and other nations to pay more attention to such behaviour and jointly condemn them. The tension in the Taiwan Strait is entirely caused by the CCP’s desire to unilaterally change the status quo. (ANI)
The drone was a Harbin BZK-005, while the two planes were a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft and a Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane..reports Asian Lite News
China’s 16 military aircraft and four ships crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Saturday, as per the Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense.
The Ministry of National Defense said it had tracked 16 aircraft and four ships from China’s military around the country by 5 pm on Saturday, reported Taiwan News.
“One unmanned drone and two planes entered the southwest sector of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ),” the ministry tweeted.
The drone was a Harbin BZK-005, while the two planes were a Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft and a Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane, it said.
Taiwan issued radio warnings, tasked aircraft and naval vessels, and deployed land-based air defense missile systems to monitor and respond to Chinese activities, said the Taiwanese military, reported Taiwan News.
Video screenshot shows warplane aerial refueling as the air force and naval aviation corps of the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fly warplanes to conduct operations around the Taiwan Island, Aug. 4, 2022. The Eastern Theater Command on Thursday conducted joint combat exercises and training around the Taiwan Island on an unprecedented scale. (Xinhua/IANS)
China’s recent incursions come as the US showed interest in helping Taiwan and approved USD 1.1 billion arms package to the self-governed nation.
The deal covered Harpoon anti-ship missiles, Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles, and radar equipment.
China’s embassy in Washington threatened counter-measures if the US did not revoke the latest weapons agreement, while Taiwan’s Presidential Office and Ministry of National Defence expressed gratitude for the Biden administration’s support for the country’s defence needs, reported Taiwan News.
In the recent past, China has increased its use of gray zone tactics by routinely sending aircraft into Taiwan’s ADIZ, with most occurrences taking place in the southwest corner.
In 2021, Chinese military planes entered Taiwan’s ADIZ on 961 instances over 239 days.
Gray zone tactics are defined as “an effort or series of efforts beyond steady-state deterrence and assurance that attempts to achieve one’s security objectives without resort to direct and sizable use of force.”
Taiwan has faced the threat of invasion ever since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, when Chiang Kai-shek’s defeated Nationalists fled there to set up a new government, having been chased out of the mainland by Mao Zedong’s Communist Party.
More than 70 years later, the Communist Party continues to view Taiwan as something akin to a breakaway province that must be “reunified” with the mainland at all costs — and it has made clear it is prepared to use force, if necessary, to fulfill that objective.
If China were to invade, the Kinmen islands — most of which have been controlled by Taiwan since the end of the war — would make a tempting first target. Lying just a few miles from the mainland Chinese city of Xiamen — and hundreds of miles from Taiwan’s capital Taipei — they are acutely vulnerable, reported CNN.
For Taiwan, the problem is that the nature of that invading force is changing. The Kinmen islands’ proximity to the mainland puts them well within the range of commercially available drones, which are cheap and plentiful in China, home to the world’s second-largest market for the machines and no shortage of potential operators among its population of 1.4 billion.
To the next query if US forces would defend the island, Biden said: “Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack…”…reports Asian Lite News
US President Joe Biden has reiterated that Washington will defend Taiwan in the event of an “unprecedented attack” by China.
During a CBS News interview on Sunday, Biden was asked “what should Chinese President Xi know about your commitment to Taiwan?”, to which the President replied: “We agree with what we signed onto a long time ago… And that there’s one China policy, and Taiwan makes their own judgments about their independence.
“We are not moving, we’re not encouraging their being independent. We’re not… That’s their decision.”
To the next query if US forces would defend the island, Biden said: “Yes, if in fact there was an unprecedented attack…”
Shortly after Biden made the remarks, the White House said that “our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed”, clearing the notion that the US policy since 1979 to recognise Taiwan as part of China remained unchanged.
“The President has said this before, including in Tokyo earlier this year. He also made clear then that our Taiwan policy hasn’t changed. That remains true,” the BBC quoted the White House as saying on Sunday evening.
Under the policy, the US does not recognise it as a separate state and has no diplomatic ties with the island.
But it maintains close relations and sells arms to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, which states that Washington must provide the island with the means to defend itself.
Tensions flared between the US and China after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an unannounced visit to Taiwan on August 2.
In response, China staged a five-day military blockade around Taiwan.
The participating groups reminded people from all walks of life to pay attention to the human rights situation of Tibetans and hope for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan….reports Asian Lite News
Taiwan Parliament Group along with other rights groups has called for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taipei over the human rights situation in Tibet.
Celebrating the 62nd anniversary of Tibetan Democracy Day on Friday, the Taiwan Parliament Group for Tibet held a commemorative event along with other groups concerned with the development of human rights.
“We should make more Tibetan friends and contacts with other Tibetan associations and organisations,” Lin Changzuo, Chairman of the Taiwan Parliament Group for Tibet said addressing the gathering.
“I believe that Taiwan and Tibet are two friendly societies with common values and hope that the international community will continue to pay attention to the human rights situation in Tibet and the democracy of the Tibetans in exile,” he added.
The participating groups reminded people from all walks of life to pay attention to the human rights situation of Tibetans and hope for the Dalai Lama’s visit to Taiwan.
The right groups also mentioned about the United Nations report pointing out China’s serious human rights violations in Xinjiang.
The United Nations report published on August 31 says the Chinese government has committed abuses that may amount to crimes against humanity targeting Uyghurs and other Turkic communities in the Xinjiang region.
The report by the outgoing UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet contains victim accounts that substantiate mass arbitrary detention, torture, and other serious human rights violations and recommends world to take action to end the abuses.
The report recommends for the Chinese government to take steps to release those arbitrarily detained; clarify the whereabouts of detained family members; cease intimidation and reprisals against Uyghurs in connection with their advocacy; to cooperate with the ILO Committee of Experts recommendations; and provide “adequate remedy and reparation to victims” of human rights abuses.
It recommends that governments should “refrain from returning [Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples] to China” and “provide humanitarian assistance, including medical and psycho-social support, to victims in the States in which they are located.”
It is to be noted that the film “Kundun”, which is based on the life of Dalai Lama was also screened in a nearby theatre on the occasion of Tibetan Democracy Day. (ANI)
The proposed sales come amid increased tension between Washington and Beijing over a contentious trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, reports Asian Lite News
With an aim to outcompete China, the US will speed up its arms sales to allies and partners.
The US will expedite arms sales to allies and partners by removing several bureaucratic road bumps that could cause delays in order to better compete with countries such as China, reported Wall Street Journal.
The report said on Friday that the Defence Department launched an initiative to streamline US arms sales to foreign countries, especially to allies and partners that have provided military equipment to Ukraine.
The US promised European allies who have provided military equipment to Ukraine that it would be able to replenish their stocks, but the US defence industry is facing a backlog, reported Wall Street Journal.
The US could speed up arms sales by having US defence officials help countries draft initial requests for military equipment that would help avoid delays caused by requests that trigger security concerns, the report said.
The Defence Department only approves contracts once a year for certain military equipment, which means countries that fail to submit their orders by the Defence Department’s deadline must wait until the following year, the report added.
However, the State Department is currently consulting with the Defence Department on this matter in light of the mission to speed up arms sales to allies, according to the report.
United States Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.
The proposed sales come amid increased tension between Washington and Beijing over a contentious trip to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan this month triggered a new round of tensions in the region. Ever since the visit of the US delegation, Beijing launched large-scale military exercises in the vicinity of the island, which included live-fire drills and military aircraft overflights close to Taiwan’s airspace.
Meanwhile, two United States Navy warships entered the Taiwan Strait in the first such transit since China staged unprecedented military drills around the island.
On Sunday, the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville were making their voyage “through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with the international law,” the US 7th Fleet in Japan said in a statement as quoted in CNN.
A 110-mile strait is a stretch of water that separates the democratic self-ruled island of Taiwan from mainland China.
Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan despite China’s ruling Communist Party never having controlled the island — and considers the strait part of its “internal waters.” (ANI)
Taiwan said it would exercise its right to self-defence and “counter-attack” if Chinese fighters and warships were to enter its territorial space…reports Asian Lite News
Taiwan’s Defence Ministry on Wednesday said that China’s recent military drills had jeopardised the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, vowing to “do whatever it takes” to defend the island.
“We will continue defending our national security, firmly holding on to the median line, and doing whatever it takes to protect our homes, our families, and our sovereignty,” Ministry spokesperson Li-Fang Sun said.
Taiwan said it would exercise its right to self-defence and “counter-attack” if Chinese fighters and warships were to enter its territorial space.
“We will use naval and air forces and coastal fire to repel PLA (Chinese People’s Liberation Army) forces that enter our 24-nautical-mile or 12-nautical-mile zones,” said Major General Lin Wen-huang, director of operations and planning division.
“When the PLA aircraft and ships are in our 12-nautical-mile territorial sea and air space, we will act in accordance with operatiorders to exercise the right of self-defence to counter-attack,” he said at an online news briefing.
After US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on August 2, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army launched military manoeuvres around Taiwan, followed by large-scale maritime and aerial drills, reports dpa news agency.
Chinese drones have been spotted over the Taiwanese island of Kinmen.
A video from China showing two Taiwanese soldiers staring up the drone went viral.
Taiwan’s Kinmen Defense Command said late Tuesday that it had fired warning shots at a Chinese military drone.
On Tuesday, President Tsai Ing-wen said at an air base in Penghu county that she had ordered Taiwan’s military to take necessary and strong countermeasures against China’s provocations.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced the passage of two US Navy warships through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a “provocation” aimed at “sabotaging regional peace and stability”.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Washington must observe the “One China” policy, which is the position that there is only one Chinese government, reports dpa news agency.
On Sunday, the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville made a “routine” mission through international waters, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” the statement said.
It was the first time the US military sent warships through the strategic waterway since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on August 2.
It was the first time the US military sent warships through the strategic waterway since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on August 2…reports Asian Lite News
The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday denounced the passage of two US Navy warships through the Taiwan Strait, calling it a “provocation” aimed at “sabotaging regional peace and stability”.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Washington must observe the “One China” policy, which is the position that there is only one Chinese government.
Taiwan has had an independent government since 1949, but China considers the democratic island part of its territory and opposes any form of official contacts between Taiwan and others.
On Sunday, the guided-missile cruisers USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville made a “routine” mission through international waters, the US Navy’s 7th Fleet said.
“The ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the US’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows,” the statement said.
It was the first time the US military sent warships through the strategic waterway since US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan on August 2.
The brief visit, during which Pelosi pledged Washington’s solidarity, drew the ire of the leadership in Beijing.
In response, the Chinese military held large-scale manoeuvres around the island.
In a statement, the US Navy said the transit “demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Tensions in the Taiwan Strait soared to their highest level in years this month after US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei.
Beijing reacted furiously, staging days of air and sea exercises around Taiwan. Taipei condemned the drills and missile tests as preparation for an invasion.
Taiwan lives under constant threat of an invasion by China, which claims the self-ruled, democratic island as part of its territory to be seized one day — by force if necessary.
Washington diplomatically recognizes Beijing over Taipei, but maintains de facto relations with Taiwan and supports the island’s right to decide its own future.
The US Seventh Fleet said the pair of Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers — the USS Antietam and the USS Chancellorsville — conducted the “routine” transit on Sunday “through waters where high seas freedoms of navigation and overflight apply in accordance with international law.”
“These ships transited through a corridor in the Strait that is beyond the territorial sea of any coastal State,” a statement said.
“The United States military flies, sails, and operates anywhere international law allows.”
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said the US had “openly hyped up” the ships’ passage through the Strait.
“The PLA Eastern Theatre Command is following and warning the US vessels throughout their entire journey, and is aware of all movements,” spokesman Senior Col. Shi Yi said.
“Troops in the (eastern) theater remain on high alert and are prepared at all times to foil any provocations.”
Taiwan’s defense ministry confirmed a pair of warships sailed from north to south through the channel.
“During their southward journey through the Taiwan Strait, the military is fully monitoring relevant movements in our surrounding sea and airspace, and the situation is normal.”
“The USS Antietam and the USS Chancellorsville, two US guided-missile cruisers, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on August 28 and hyped it up publicly, the Eastern Theatre Command (ETC) of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) said on Sunday.
The ETC conducted security tracking and monitoring of the US warships’ passage in the whole course and had all movements of the two US warships under control, Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the ETC, said in a statement.
The troops of the PLA Eastern Theatre Command always stay on high alert and get ready to thwart any provocation, he added.
Criticising the American naval ships transit through the island, a write-up in the state-run Global Times said the US is trying to appease the Taiwan authorities and regional allies, conveying to them that Washington will not back down under military pressure from the Chinese mainland.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMA9mVi2blE
This is the first time the US warships sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a busy and strategic waterway separating China and Taiwan, after Pelosi’s visit though according to the official media accounts here over 100 American warships transited through the water since 2012, challenging China’s claims over the area.
The US has been conducting similar naval and aerial expeditions in the disputed South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation, countering Beijing’s claims over most of the area.
The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counterclaims over the South China Sea.
