Taiwan tracking China activity but cannot say if there will be more drills post-national day
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Chinese fighter jets and warships operate almost daily in the Taiwan Strait and waters and skies off the island's north, south and east coasts.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TAIPEI - Taiwan is tracking Chinese activities for any early warning signs but cannot answer hypothetical questions about whether there will be a repeat of the 2024 war games following Taiwan’s national day, the defence minister said on Oct 3.
Taiwan, formally called the Republic of China, will celebrate its national day on Oct 10 with a keynote speech by President Lai Ching-te.
China, which views the island as its own territory, staged a day of war games around the island
Asked about the possibility of a repeat of that in 2025, Taiwanese Defence Minister Wellington Koo told reporters that the armed forces are keeping a watch. “We will continue to monitor relevant developments in China and gather any early warning intelligence. We will closely track and respond accordingly,” he said.
“Regarding hypothetical scenarios, I am unable to provide answers at this time.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. China is in the middle of its own week-long national day holiday.
Mr Koo on Oct 2 visited military bases on Penghu Islands, which sit strategically in the Taiwan Strait, although they are closer to the main island of Taiwan than China’s coast.
His ministry published a picture of him in front of a Sky Bow III missile battery, a Taiwan-developed surface-to-air missile with a similar mission scope to the US-made Patriots which Taiwan also operates.
“Facing severe enemy threats, Penghu serves as a critical defence zone for our combat operations,” the ministry cited him as telling the troops.
Mr Koo declined to comment when asked by reporters whether the Sky Bow III has now been fully deployed to Taiwan’s offshore islands, saying only that the system has entered service.
Penghu is home to one of Taiwan’s most important airbases.
Apart from war games, the last of which China staged around Taiwan in April, Chinese fighter jets and warships operate almost daily in the Taiwan Strait and waters and skies off the island’s north, south and east coasts.
China says Taiwan’s President is a “separatist”. President Lai rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying that only the island’s people can decide their future. REUTERS
