Taiwan tests air defences ‘in face of’ China threats
South Korea’s foreign ministry expresses ‘grave concerns’ over Beijing’s recent use of water cannons against Philippine ships
Taiwan tested its air defences on Tuesday in early morning drills using surface-to-air missiles, and air, land and naval forces, saying it would continue to intensify training in the face of China’s frequent military activities nearby.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, hascomplainedoverthepastfouryearsofrepeated instances of Chinese air force aircrat and navy ships operating close to and around the island.
Taiwan’s air force command said in a brief statement that between 5am (2100 GMT) and 7am it had carried out “overall air defence combat plan exercises” using domestically made Sky Bow and Us-made Patriot surface-to-air missiles in conjunction with aircrat and navy ships.
The drills were “to inspect and verify the joint air defence combat command and control of the three branches,” it said, adding that the outcome was “good.”
“In the face of Chinese aircrat and ships frequently encroaching into Taiwan’s surrounding sea and air space, the air force will continue to increase its training intensity to deal with potential threats,” the air force said.
Speaking in Suao on Taiwan’s east coast, home to a major navy base, defence ministry spokesperson Sun Li-fang said that although there was no direct link between what he called routine annual drills such as these and current tensions, the threat from China was continuing to rise.
“How to increase our overall military capabilities is very important,” he told reporters.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has overseen a military modernisation programme, including the development of new Taiwanese-made equipment.
Much of the focus has been on the navy, which is massively outgunned and outnumbered by China’s fleet.
Tsai on Tuesday atended a handover ceremony in Suao for two new warships, both Tuo Chiang-class corvetes, which have been dubbed by Taiwan’s navy “carrier killers” because of their high manoeuvrability, stealthiness and anti-ship missiles.
They can also carry Sky Sword anti-aircrat missiles.
Tsai, noting that the two new warships had been handed over a year ahead of schedule, told officers that the domestically made ships show
Taiwan’s determination to protect its freedom and democracy.
“Over the past few years we have firmly implemented national defence autonomy. Ships made by Taiwan have been named, launched and delivered one ater another, faster and faster,” she added.
Taiwan’s government rejects China’s territorial claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.
Separately, South Korea’s foreign ministry on Tuesday expressed “grave concerns” over China’s recent use of water cannons against Philippine ships, saying it stokes tension in the South China Sea and undermines a maritime order.
The Philippines accused China’s coastguard of using water cannons on Saturday against a civilian boat supplying troops at the Spratly Islands, a largely uninhabited archipelago in the South China Sea which has long been a source of territorial spats between the two countries.
The United States and Japan immediately expressed their support to the Philippines, as well as alarm over Chinese forces’ aggression off the Second Thomas Shoal.
It was the latest in a series of flare-ups in the past year.
The Philippines lodged a protest and said the boat was damaged and some crew injured, while Beijing warned Manila to behave cautiously and seek dialogue, saying their ties were at a “crossroads”.
“We are gravely concerned about the recent and repeated use of water cannons in the South China Sea,” Seoul’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lim Soo-suk, told a briefing.
“These actions increase tensions in the South China Sea, a major international navigation route used by all countries including Korea, and undermine efforts to maintain peace, stability, security and a rules-based maritime order.”
He also said the freedom of navigation and overflight must be respected by all countries based on international law.
South Korea’s Yoon Suk Yeol administration has been vocal about tension in the South China Sea and also the Taiwan Strait, saying it opposes atempts to change the status quo by force.