DEFENSE: Taiwan’s participation in the US’ Indo-Pacific strategy is a response to enemy activities, as Beijing steps up its military pressure on Taiwan, the defense minister said

Taipei Times
Date: Nov 13, 2019
By: Sean Lin  /  Staff reporter

China has over the past few years ramped up its

military pressure on the nation, sending about 2,000 reconnaissance aircraft and warplanes to the Taiwan Strait each year, Minister of National Defense Yen De-fa (嚴德發) said yesterday at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.

Yen made the remarks at a question-and-answer session on the special budget for the 66 F-16V jets that the nation plans to buy from the US, while fielding a question from Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) on the likelihood of Taiwan and the US engaging in joint military exercises in the Taiwan Strait or elsewhere in the Indo-Pacific region.

Chiang said that thanks to the Link 16 tactical data network installed in the F-16Vs, the new jets would be able to communicate with US warplanes and share data.

He asked whether this would signal closer military cooperation with the US.    [FULL  STORY]