Latest news with #TaiwaneseMilitary
Malay Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
China extends controversial flight path near Taiwan ahead of war games
HONG KONG, July 6 — China's civil aviation authority said today it has opened a third extension of the M503 flight route, which has for years been the subject of complaints from Taipei due to its position just west of an unofficial dividing line in the Taiwan Strait. China last year moved the M503 route closer to the median line, drawing an angry response from Taipei, which said Beijing was trying to 'package' civil aviation for political or military considerations to potentially change the strait's status quo. The opening of the W121 extension comes days before the annual Han Kuang military and civil defence drills that Taiwan holds to simulate a Chinese blockade and invasion of the democratic island. The median line had for years served as an unofficial barrier between Chinese-claimed Taiwan and China, but China says it does not recognise its existence and Chinese warplanes now regularly fly over it as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei to accept its sovereignty claims. The Civil Aviation Authority of China said that 'in order to further optimize the airspace environment and improve operational efficiency, from now on, civil aviation will use the W121 connection line of the M503 route.' Taiwan's China policy-making Mainland Affairs Council did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This is the third extension after W122 and W123, which are to the south of W121, opened last year. All three go west to east, from mainland China in the direction of Taiwan. 'This measure is aimed at 'ensuring flight safety, reducing flight delays, and protecting the rights and interests of passengers,' China's Taiwan Affairs Office said. It added that the opening was 'beneficial' to both sides of the strait. Taiwan, which is facing ramped-up military pressure from China, which considers the separately governed island as its own, begins its Han Kuang exercises on July 9 and they are set to last for 10 days. — Reuters
Free Malaysia Today
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Taiwan says UK Navy ship sailed through Taiwan Strait
The British Royal Navy's HMS Spey docks at the Port of Manila in the Philippines during a 2023 allied maritime drill. (EPA Images pic) TAIPEI : Taiwan said Thursday a British Navy patrol vessel sailed through the Taiwan Strait, a move that challenges China's claim to the sensitive waterway. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and claims jurisdiction over the body of water that separates the self-ruled island from the Chinese mainland. The US and other countries view the 180km Taiwan Strait as international waters that should be open to all vessels. 'The British Royal Navy patrol vessel HMS Spey sailed through the Taiwan Strait on June 18,' Taiwan's foreign ministry said in a statement. 'The UK has once again taken concrete action to uphold freedom of navigation in the Taiwan Strait and demonstrate the firm position that the Taiwan Strait is international waters.' The last time a British Navy ship transited the Taiwan Strait was in 2021, when the HMS Richmond, a frigate deployed with Britain's aircraft carrier strike group, sailed through from Japan to Vietnam. China strongly condemned Britain at the time and deployed its military to follow the vessel. A Canadian warship passed through the strait in February this year, days after a US destroyer and a US ocean survey ship made the passage. Taiwan's military has been reporting near-daily sightings of Chinese warships around its waters, as well as sorties by drones and fighter jets around the island. Taiwan's defence ministry said Thursday it had detected 25 Chinese military aircraft and 7 navy vessels in the 24 hours to 6am.
South China Morning Post
28-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Aerial shots of Taiwan's key Hualien airbase spark concern after appearing on social media
Aerial shots and detailed analysis of a key Taiwanese military base on mainland Chinese social media have sparked security concerns on the self-ruled island, where officials are seeking to reassure the public. Advertisement The images of Hualien Air Base were part of a video lasting less than seven minutes that emerged last week on RedNote , or Xiaohongshu, the mainland-based lifestyle platform that is also popular in Taiwan, especially among young users. The video was uploaded by a military blogger from an IP address in Beijing on May 21 – one day after Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te made a speech to mark his first year in office. It was widely reposted and shared on other platforms, including WeChat and YouTube. While the original link on RedNote disappeared, the reposted video was still available on the other platforms. The video included close-ups of the base's 2,851 metre (9,353 feet) runway, with details of operating procedures, as well as its 46 hardened aircraft shelters, along with their size measurements. Advertisement It also gave deployment details of the three squadrons stationed in the airbase, the locations of its F-16V and F-5E fighters, as well as the base's sports facilities and even hotel buildings.
