Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-29
By: Staff Reporter

An Fengshan, spokesperson of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, has criticized the new

national defense report published by the Republic of China Armed Forces on Oct. 27 as “provocative,” our sister paper Want Daily reports.

The national defense report stated that mainland China has not relinquished its ambition to take over Taiwan despite increasing economic exchanges across the strait and projected that the People’s Liberation Army will be ready to launch an assault on Taiwan by 2020 as it puts more advanced weapons into service.

An said in a press conference on Oct. 28 that the report is “not helpful” for Taiwan to establish military confidence-building measures with the mainland side and claimed the report violated political mutual trust and the will of the people of both sides to establish stable a relationship across the Taiwan strait.

Claiming that Taiwan has an intensely politicized society, An said Beijing must express more concerns over the safety of mainland tourists to Taiwan.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-24
By: Staff Reporter

In response to a piece by Lyle Goldstein of the US Naval War College about

the PLA Navy’s capability to blockade Taiwan with naval mines, Michael Peck, a military expert from Oregon, said stand-off mines could be used to counter a Chinese amphibious landing on Taiwan and also in the disputed South China Sea.

In a piece for National Interest on Oct. 19, Peck said the stand-off mine is a combination of the quickstrike mine and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). Known as GBU-62B(V-1)/B Quickstrike-ER, the weapon was dropped for the first time by a B-52H strategic bomber from 35,000 feet on Sept. 23, 2014. Instead of falling directly into the water, the mine glided for 40 nautical miles. Putting wings on naval mines offers a revolutionary method of mine delivery, Peck said.     [FULL  STORY]

Arab News
Date: 24 October 2015
By: REUTERS

BEIJING: Chinese people have a “sacred mission” to ensure Taiwan is

always considered part of China, a top Chinese leader said on Friday ahead of the 70th anniversary of Japan giving up control of Taiwan at the end of World War Two.

Taiwan was a Japanese colony from 1895-1945 and the then-Nationalist government of China took over rule of the island after Japan lost the war. Japan had gained control of the island from imperial China.

But the Nationalists had to flee to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with the Communists, who to this day insist the island is an integral part of China and have never renounced the use of force to bring it under Beijing’s control.     [FULL  STORY]

Want China Times
Date: 2015-10-13
By: Xinhua and Staff Reporter

Construction on a water pipeline connecting China’s southeastern province

of Fujian with the Taiwan-held island of Kinmen began on Monday.

Excavators began work at the Longhu reservoir on the Jinjiang river, the source of the water-diversion project. Water will be stored at the reservoir before being pumped into the pipeline and sent to Kinmen, only a dozen kilometers away.

Tsai Chi-chao, director of the Kinmen water plant, said water supply has been a constant headache on the 153-sq-km island, especially with the increasing number of tourists. “Most of the rain during typhoon season flows into the sea, and the underground water is far from enough for our residents,” he said.     [FULL  STORY]

CHINESE PERCEPTION:Heritage Foundation fellow Dean Cheng said inaction by the US over Chinese island-building could cause Beijing to see it as weak

Taipei Times
Date: Oct 04, 2015
By: William Lowther  /  Staff reporter in WASHINGTON

There is a military storm brewing in the South China Sea and it will involve Taiwan, a US national defense and strategic planning consultancy on Friday told a Washington conference.

“China is maneuvering and building up its military forces with clear intent,” Global Strategies and Transformation president Paul Giarra said.

Giarra told the Heritage Foundation think tank that Beijing had convinced the US not to consider the nation in the context of geography or military operations.

“We are thinking of Taiwan as a political problem that we want to go away,” he said at the conference, titled “Taiwan in the South China Sea.”     [FULL  STORY]

Reuters
Date: October 1, 2015
By Jean Yoon and J.R. Wu

TAIPEI (Reuters) – Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said on Thursday the island was not

ready to discuss unification with China, sending a firm message to an increasingly assertive Beijing eager to absorb what it considers a renegade province.

Ma, 65, told Reuters in an exclusive interview that, though the economic and social gaps between the proudly democratic island and its giant Communist neighbour were narrowing, their political differences remained wide.

“The political situation between the two sides is still very different,” said Ma, speaking on the day China was celebrating its National Day. “I think to discuss matters, such as unification, is not very suitable. Taiwan is not ready.”

Although his eight-year presidency has been characterised by warming business ties with China, Ma, who steps down next year due to term limits, repeated how “the time was not yet ripe” for unification talks between the once bitter enemies.     [FULL  STORY]