Taiwan Tati Cultural and Educational Foundation

DEFENSE REPORT: PLA can block key harbors, ministry says

Taipei Times

China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier takes part in a military drill in the western Pacific Ocean on April 18, 2018.
Photo: Reuters

China’s armed forces are capable of blockading Taiwan’s key harbors and airports, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, offering its latest assessment of what it described as a “grave” military threat posed by its giant neighbor.

China has been ramping up military activity around Taiwan, including by repeatedly flying warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ).

Mayor Ko Wen-je’s IQ debacle

Taipei Times Editorial

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is under fire again for making controversial comments, which is nothing new, but his behavior should still be scrutinized and addressed, as he is an elected public figure.

No matter what his reasons, his words still often set a bad example for society, especially children.

In the latest incident, Ko was questioning the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) purchase of a batch of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines that are to expire at the end of this month.

China institute at NTHU raises concern

Taipei Times

National Security Bureau Deputy Director-General Chen Chin-kuang answers questions from legislators yesterday at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times

A Chinese-funded research institute had set up an office at Taiwan’s National Tsing Hua University (NTHU), the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that Beijing could have used it to attract talent to its semiconductor industry, which is short of workers.

KMT, TPP confused on pork issue

Huang Wei-ping 黃惟冰

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) have recently tried to clarify that their opposition to importing US pork containing ractopamine is not the same as opposing the US, and accused President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and her administration of linking the two in an attempt to distort their positions.

In late August last year, the Tsai administration announced that it would lift a ban on imports of US pork containing ractopamine and beef from cattle more than 30 months old. Then-US vice president Mike Pence said that Taiwan’s decision opened the door for further economic cooperation and stronger trade ties between the nations. Then-US secretary of state Mike Pompeo echoed Pence, saying that the US welcomed Tsai’s move and that this opened the door to bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

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