Taiwan air force stages drill amid tensions with China

 

 

As tensions remain high in the region, Taiwan Air Force pilots were seen rushing to F-16V jets as part of drills simulating the interception of an incursion into the disputed island’s defense zone. 

F-16V fighter jets perform an elephant walk during an annual New Year's drill in Chiayi, Chinese Taipei, on January 5, 2022. (Photo by Reuters)

Taiwan's air force has conducted a drill simulating a war situation to show the self-ruled island's combat readiness amid heightened tensions with Beijing.

The exercises were carried out at a base in the southern city of Chiayi on Wednesday, where Taiwanese jets took off into the sky as part of a three-day drill to show off the self-governed island's military prowess ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of this month.

Flight crews rushed to ready aircraft as an alarm sounded before takeoff at the base, home to US-made F-16 fighter jets, which frequently scrambles jets to intercept Chinese planes.

Major Yen Hsiang-sheng told reporters that with the very high frequency of Chinese planes entering Taipei's self-designated air defense identification zone (ADIZ), "pilots from our wing are very experienced and have dealt with almost all types of their aircraft."

Taipei holds live-fire drill amid tensions with mainland China

Chinese Taipei conducts a live-fire military exercise to test the combat readiness of the self-ruled Island’s troops and the firepower of its armored divisions.

The latest development comes as tensions among Chinese Taipei, China, and the United States have been at their highest in decades.

China has been flying fighter jets close to Chinese Taipei while the US has reportedly had troops deployed in the territory for the past year for alleged training purposes.

China flew 150 planes over Taipei's self-designated air defense identification zone in the first five days of October. Taipei's defense ministry described the show of force as an "incursion."

Last month, President Joe Biden said the US would come to Taipei's aid if it were to come under attack from China, claiming it had a commitment to defend the self-ruled island. China blasted the statement, accusing Washington of meddling in Chinese internal affairs.

China has sovereignty over Chinese Taipei, and under the "One China" policy, almost all world countries recognize that sovereignty. The US, too, recognizes Chinese sovereignty over the island but has long courted Taipei in defiance of Beijing.

China warns of 'drastic measures' if Taiwan moves toward independence

China has warned Taiwan against making moves toward independence, saying it will take "drastic measures" if the self-governed island crosses red lines.

The United States, which backs Taipei's secessionist president, also continues to sell weapons to the island in violation of its own stated policy.

China has in the past said its military exercises near Chinese Taipei are a "solemn warning" to secessionist factions in the self-ruled island and their foreign backers, particularly the United States.

Beijing has also warned Taipei against making moves toward independence, saying it will take "drastic measures" if the self-governed island crosses red lines.

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‘Paranoid delusion’: Beijing fumes as US Senate passes massive anti-China tech bill

Beijing has accused Washington of exhibiting “paranoid delusion” and “Cold War mentality,” after the US Senate passed a new bill aimed at bolstering the position of American tech in competing with China.

The foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, blasted the new US legislation on Wednesday, accusing Washington of seeking to undermine the country’s “legitimate right to development through technology and economic decoupling.”

The legislation is “full of Cold War mentality and ideological prejudice,” and the Chinese parliament is voicing “strong indignation and resolute opposition” to it, the committee said in a statement carried by China’s state media.

The bill shows that the paranoid delusion of egoism has distorted the original intention of innovation and competition.

The new legislation, officially known as the US Innovation and Competition Act, was passed by the Senate on Tuesday. The bill, which has become one of the largest industrial bills in the US history, received broad bipartisan support, getting passed 68-31. After scoring the Senate’s approval, the bill is now heading into the House of Representatives.

The bill authorizes around $190 billion to strengthen US technology and research, as well as some $54 billion to increase production and research into semiconductors and other telecommunications equipment.

“If we do nothing, our days as the dominant superpower may be ending. We don’t mean to let those days end on our watch. We don’t mean to see America become a middling nation in this century,” one of the co-sponsors of the legislation, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, stated.

Apart from giving a big boost to American research and development, the legislation also contains a wide range of explicit anti-China provisions. Namely, it bans the downloading of Chinese social media app TikTok on government-issued devices, as well as blocking the procurement of drones manufactured by companies linked to the Chinese government.

The legislation also delves into matters rather remotely related to big tech, such as enabling Taiwanese diplomats and military to display the island’s flags and wear uniforms while conducting official business in the US. Taiwan is regarded by Beijing as an integral part of the country, and China has repeatedly accused Washington of meddling in its internal affairs and violating the so-called ‘one China’ policy.

Source: https://www.rt.com/news/526051-china-us-tech-bill/

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