Focus Taiwan
Date: 2018/01/01
By: Lu Hsin-hui, Liu Li-jung, Lin Ke-lun, Shih Hsiu-chuan
Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) The recent expansion of China’s long-distance training drills over
File photo
waterways near Taiwan were mainly targeted at the United States and Japan while also attempting to intimidate Taiwan, experts said recently, urging the government to prepare for possible incidents.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, Chinese aircraft and vessels operated near Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) 25 times from August 2016 to Dec. 2017.
By sending its planes and ships past the “first island chain” into the Western Pacific China has gained multiple benefits in terms of military capability, a senior air force military officer who wished to remain anonymous told CNA.
The drills were not exclusively targeted at Taiwan but also sought to pressure neighboring countries, the officer said. [FULL STORY]