Taiwan
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan urges PRC to stop ‘destructive’ military activities
Reuters Taiwan’s Defense Ministry urged the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to stop “destructive, unilateral action” after reporting a sharp rise in military activities near the self-governed island in mid-September 2023, warning that such behavior could spike tensions. The Chinese Communist Party, which claims Taiwan as its territory even though it has never been part of the PRC, has staged…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Allies, partners prepare to counter PRC maneuvers to block sea lines of communication
FORUM Staff The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to threaten sea lines of communication (SLOCs) worldwide, undermining international maritime security norms and laws. In 2023, for example, the PRC has repeatedly postured to potentially blockade the Taiwan Strait through which more than a trillion dollars in trade passes every year. In April, the PRC sent patrol vessels, sanctioned by…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Japan, Philippines deepen defense cooperation amid shared security concerns
FORUM Staff When Japan announced an unprecedented plan in early 2023 to help bolster defense and security in like-minded countries, the Philippines was high on its list. Tokyo’s Official Security Assistance program is expected to provide Manila with radar and satellite communications to strengthen maritime security, Reuters news agency reported, including defending its primary routes in the disputed South China…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan says CCP updating coastline military bases facing the self-governed island
The Associated Press The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is continuously bolstering its military bases along the coastline facing Taiwan, the island’s Defense Ministry reported in mid-September 2023, as Beijing steps up military activities around the self-governed territory it threatens to annex by force. Taiwan said it will continue monitoring the CCP’s activities around the island and strengthen its defenses in…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan reject PRC’s latest South China Sea map
REUTERS The Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan have rejected as baseless a map released by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that denotes its claims to sovereignty including in the South China Sea. Beijing released the map in late August 2023 of its notorious U-shaped line covering about 90% of the South China Sea, a source of many of the disputes…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Countering China’s Cognitive Viruses
Maj. Ya-Chi Huang/Taiwan Army In recent years, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has conducted information operations and cognitive operations through “content farms” — websites and associated entities that churn out massive amounts of low-quality content for propaganda — to influence Taiwan’s people and provoke internal conflicts on the self-governed island, which the PRC claims must be unified with the…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Japan, South Korea, U.S. agree at Camp David summit to expand security ties
The Associated Press The leaders of Japan and South Korea joined United States President Joe Biden in August 2023 for a historic summit at the U.S. presidential retreat Camp David in Maryland, cementing a new security agreement among allies facing increasingly tense relations with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and North Korea. At the close of his talks with South…
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Conflicts - Tensions
High-Risk Proposition
FORUM Staff The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) demonstrated the use of civilian ferries to launch a mock invasion of Taiwan during an August 2022 exercise. Using a custom-made ramp, the PLAN employed civilian roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ferries to load amphibious assault craft on a Chinese beach near the Taiwan Strait, according to USNI News, the daily…
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Conflicts - Tensions
COTS Devices Pass Muster
Once dismissed as inferior technology, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices such as aerial and maritime drones, secure mobile phones and GPS instruments are helping Ukraine counter Russia’s assault and drawing increased interest from militaries worldwide, including in the Indo-Pacific. A relatively small percentage of the equipment that Ukraine has used against Russian invaders is inexpensive, publicly available and quickly accessible. Aerial…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Taiwan to receive $345 million military aid package
The Associated Press The United States has announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration’s first major package drawing on American stockpiles to help the self-governed island that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims as its own. The White House in late July 2023 said the package would fund defense, education and training. Washington will…
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