《TAIPEI TIMES》 Military on alert amid ‘waves’ of PLA missile tests

FRONTLINE DEFENDERS: While air defense forces were placed on alert, Lai visited the navy’s 131st Fleet in Keelung, calling it a vital pillar in the nation’s defense

/ Staff writer, with Reuters and CNA

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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday said it was monitoring “waves” of missile tests in China’s Inner Mongolia and that its air defense forces were on alert.

From 4am yesterday, the ministry detected “multiple waves of test launches” by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army （PLA） Rocket Force in Inner Mongolia, about 2,000km from Taiwan, it said.

The military are continuously monitoring developments and the air defense forces are on alert, the ministry said, without giving details.

The Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not answer calls seeking comment outside of office hours. The Rocket Force is in charge of China’s conventional and nuclear missile arsenal.

The tests come as two Russian warships arrived in the southern Chinese port city of Zhanjiang for joint naval exercises, the first phase of which is to begin tomorrow, the Russian Ministry of Defense said yesterday.

In August 2022, China fired missiles into the waters around Taiwan during war games to express anger at a visit to Taipei by then-US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Taiwan operates powerful radar stations on some of the peaks of the Central Mountain Range that can look far into China, security sources said.

Beijing has increased its military pressure on Taiwan, including war games, since the May 20 inauguration of President William Lai （賴清德）, who it refers to as a “separatist.”

Lai has repeatedly offered to hold talks with China, but has been rebuffed.

Lai yesterday inspected the Weihai Naval Base （威海營區） at the Port of Keelung, home to the nation’s 131st Fleet and its indigenously built Tuo Jiang-class corvettes.

Addressing the fleet, Lai said it is charged with the important tasks of patrolling waters to the south and northeast of Taiwan and escorting transports to outlying islands.

The fleet is also an important pillar of the military’s asymmetric warfare capabilities, he said, adding that he hopes they would continue to uphold the navy’s spirit of loyalty and righteousness, and protect the country’s coasts and territorial waters.

The high-efficiency Tuo Jiang-class stealth corvettes stationed at the base have helped to bolster national security and represent the cross-section of Taiwan’s ongoing projects to build warships domestically, he said.

In his address, Lai referred to a project to relocate military harbors at the naval base port westward, which entails building new offices and dormitories for military personnel.

The project is expected not only to significantly improve their living conditions, but also boost national defense and the development of Keelung, he said.

Lai also gave the fleet a monetary reward meant to boost morale.

Additional reporting by AFP

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES