《TAIPEI TIMES》Beijing’s military activity in Strait ‘not helpful’: Tsai

Staff writer, with agencies

China’s military activity in the Taiwan Strait is “not helpful” to cross-strait relations, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） said yesterday while visiting military bases to observe combat drills and a newly developed tactical drone, as China protested the passage of a US Navy destroyer through the strait a day earlier.

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Tsai observed a display by a mechanized infantry battalion at a base in Chiayi County, and visited the air force’s Fourth Tactical Fighter Wing, whose pilots are largely responsible for intercepting Chinese military aircraft approaching the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

“I would like to reiterate that the continuous activities of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army are not helpful to cross-strait relations, nor to the peace and stability of the region,” Tsai said.

“As we are facing the expansion of authoritarianism, we can only but strengthen the nation’s combat capabilities and toughness to secure our national security and interests,” she said.

Military training is to become more reflective of modern combat needs after recent reforms are enacted, she said.

Meanwhile, China accused the US of “publicly hyping” the passage on Thursday of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer the USS Chung-Hoon through the Taiwan Strait.

“The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army organized troops to monitor the US ship’s entire passage, and was fully cognizant of all its actions,” command spokesperson Colonel Shi Yi （施毅） said in a statement on social media.

“Chung-Hoon’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States’ commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. The United States military flies, sails and operates anywhere international law allows,” the US’ Japan-based 7th Fleet said in a statement.

Transits by the US Navy through the Strait have become a near-monthly occurrence since 2020.

In recent months there have either been fewer transits or the US has revealed fewer.

Tsai also observed the first-ever active combat readiness drill for a tactical close-range rotary-wing drone developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.

The exercise conducted by the 234th Mechanized Infantry Brigade simulated a raid of Chiayi Airport by invading forces, followed by a combined combat operation with infantry forces and armored battalions to repel an enemy takeover.

The drill saw the aerial vehicle in action, gathering intelligence on the simulated attack.

The 25kg helicopter drone called Capricorn can operate at an altitude of 1,500m and stay airborne for about an hour, said Su Tzu-yun （蘇紫雲）, a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

The drone can withstand up to Beaufort scale 6 winds and is equipped with a dual optical lens — visible light and thermal imaging — to enhance its all-weather, day-and-night reconnaissance capabilities, Su said.

Capricorn has three built-in navigation modules to prevent the possibility of damage or interference to a single navigation system from having a severe affect on military operations, he added.

The army has ordered 50 drone packages comprising 100 aircraft at a cost of NT$780 million （US$25.4 million）, Su said, adding that 28 were delivered last year, with the remainder to be delivered next year.

Military conscripts are to operate drones as part of weapons training, Tsai said.

Additional reporting by Wu Su-wei

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES