Latest news with #TaiwanDefence
CNA
a day ago
- Politics
- CNA
Chinese carriers in Pacific show country's 'expansionist' aims, Taiwan says
TAIPEI: The two Chinese aircraft carriers spotted conducting simultaneous operations in the Pacific for the first time send a political message about the country's "expansionist" aims, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday (Jun 11). Japan's defence minister said the previous day that the appearance of the Chinese aircraft carriers signified Beijing's intention to further widen its capabilities beyond its borders. Koo said the armed forces had a "full grasp" of the carriers' movements. "Crossing from the first island chain into the second island chain sends a definite political message and their expansionist nature can be seen," he told reporters in Taipei. The first island chain refers to an area that runs from Japan down to Taiwan, the Philippines and Borneo, while the second island chain spreads further out into the Pacific to include places like the US territory of Guam. China's navy, which has been honing its abilities to operate further and further from the country's coast, said on Tuesday the carrier operations were a "routine training" exercise that did not target specific countries or regions. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, keeps a close watch on Chinese military movements given the regular drills and war games Beijing stages around the island. Since May, China has been flexing its muscles by sending an unusually large number of naval and coast guard vessels through a swathe of East Asian waters, according to security documents and officials, in moves that have unnerved regional capitals. Japan's defence ministry confirmed the two carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, were operating in separate areas in the Pacific on Saturday, both near remote southern islands belonging to Japan.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Civilian group hosts Taiwan tabletop simulation of attack from mainland China
A think tank in Taiwan has started a two-day war game with retired US and Japanese generals to simulate the island's defence in the event of a military attack from the Chinese mainland. The Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation, which organised the tabletop exercise, said the aim was to 'identify the defence issues that Taiwan urgently needs to strengthen and provide recommendations for the government'. Described as the first operational-level military simulation by a civilian institution, the Taiwan Defence TTX event began on Tuesday. Among the invitees were nine retired generals and eight retired lieutenant generals from Taiwan, the US and Japan. They included Michael Mullen, who served as the 17th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2007 to 2011, and Dennis Blair, former US director of national intelligence, according to a report on Sunday by the Central News Agency. Takei Tomohisa, a former chief of staff of Japan's Maritime Self-Defence Force, and retired air force general Shigeru Iwasaki are also taking part in the exercise, the agency report said. The intention of the exercise is to discuss 'the feasibility of Taiwan's military strategy and operational concepts' in response to Beijing's use of force against Taiwan by 2030, it said. The foundation has not responded to an interview request from the South China Morning Post.
