Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

Cyberattacks spiked day before vote

Taipei Times

China-affiliated cyberattacks against Taiwan jumped in the 24 hours before Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections on Jan. 13, a report released on Tuesday by US cybersecurity firm Trellix found.

The report titled Cyberattack on Democracy: Escalating Cyber Threats Immediately Ahead of Taiwan’s 2024 Presidential Election said that malicious cyberactivity targeting Taiwan had jumped from 1,758 detections on Jan. 11 to more than 4,300 on Jan. 12.

The reason behind the activity and its success remains to be determined, the report said.

Delays a challenge for defense boost

Taipei Times

The nation’s defense capability is to see a boost over the next four years, as the military is expected to acquire major equipment such as M1A2T tanks, light cruisers and F-16V jets, but production delays are likely to continue posing challenges.

With some analysts saying that Beijing is eyeing an invasion deadline of 2027, Taiwan’s military readiness over the coming years is of critical importance.

Based on the Ministry of National Defense’s published budgets, the military from now until 2027 is scheduled to receive a significant amount of new armaments.

Record six China balloons fly across Taiwan: MND

Taipei Times

A record six Chinese balloons flew across Taiwan between 6am on Saturday and 6am yesterday, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said.

In its daily report on Chinese military activities, the ministry said that the six balloons were among eight that crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait during the 24-hour period.

The eight balloons were detected between 10:05am and 3:34pm on Saturday at altitudes of 3,658m to 10,668m, it said.

Japan on the alert over China’s ocean movements

Taipei Times

China Coast Guard vessels have been passing by Japanese-claimed waters for weeks in the East China Sea and China’s warships have been edging near Japan’s southwestern islands over the past few days, Japanese officials said.

A fleet of four China Coast Guard vessels on Thursday passed just outside of the territorial waters of Japan-controlled islands, which Beijing and Taiwan also claim, for the 49th day in a row, the Japan Coast Guard said.

It said it warned China’s vessels against further approaching the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台群島) — known as the Senkakus in Japan.

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