Skip to content

In Face of China Threat, Taiwan to Invite US Experts to Bolster Defenses

  • Asia

More Bank Runs Worry Chinese Regulators, Investors

News Analysis Warning signs are flashing all over China’s banking sector. Chinese regulators have seized and bailed out lenders at an unprecedented pace amidst a surge in bad debt all the while forcing banks to step up lending at increasingly lower interest spreads. It’s a way to keep banks in business but not a recipe for future longevity. Increasing worries about the health of China’s financial system have hit investor confidence in banks and hurt recent capital raising efforts as well. I wrote in August that after three Chinese bank bailouts in three months, more will follow. After a few months of calm, two local bank runs in November have added fuel to the fire. Yingkou Coastal Bank is the latest to suffer a bank run. Yingkou faced a “flash…

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen (C in blue jacket) and assembled naval personnel take part in a ceremony to commission two Perry-class guided missile frigates from the US into the Taiwan Navy, in the southern port of Kaohsiung on Nov. 8, 2018. President Tsai Ing-wen vowed on Nov. 8 that Taiwan would not "concede one step" in defending itself as she inaugurated two frigates bought from the US aimed at boosting the island's naval capabilities against China threats. (Chris Stowers/AFP/Getty Images)

TAIPEI—Taiwan plans to invite U.S. military experts to visit to provide advice on bolstering the island’s defenses, the defense ministry said on Dec. 2, in the face of what Taipei views as a growing threat from its giant neighbor China.

Democratic Taiwan is claimed by China as part of its territory.

China has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control, and has stepped up military activity around the island, including sailing an aircraft carrier group through the Taiwan Strait last month.

Like most countries, the United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself and is its most important arms supplier.

In a brief statement, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it plans to use the “arms purchase contract model to invite a U.S. expert group to come to Taiwan.”

The ministry “hopes to use the U.S. military’s practical experience to provide a reference for the national armed forces’ construction and war preparations.”

“This case is a Taiwan-U.S. military exchange and cooperation plan, which will help consolidate and deepen the security partnership between the two sides and further ensure peace and stability in the region,” it said.

The ministry gave no other details, and did not specifically mention China, though the country is Taiwan’s only real military threat.

The Trump administration has been stepping up its support for Taiwan, including approving $10 billion in arms sales this year, despite strong Chinese opposition.

China, already locked in a trade war with the United States, regularly calls Taiwan the most sensitive and important issue in the Sino-U.S. relationship.

Brent Christensen, the de facto U.S. ambassador to Taiwan, said last month that strengthening security ties was one of his priorities.

While Taiwan’s military is well armed and well trained, China’s armed forces have long since gained the upper hand, with new missiles, stealth fighters, aircraft carriers and submarines coming into service at a steady rate.

Most military experts believe Taiwan would only last a few days in a war with China, unless the United States came quickly to its aid, mobilizing its substantial forces in nearby Japan and maybe also South Korea.

By Ben Blanchard

This article is from the Internet:In Face of China Threat, Taiwan to Invite US Experts to Bolster Defenses

380,000 Hongkongers March to Renew Calls for Freedom and Democracy

Protesters could be heard shouting slogans such as “disband the police force,” and “the heavens will eliminate the Chinese Communist Party, let the entire Party die.” The peaceful march, which was organized by a local netizen who identified himself as Swing, had been granted police approval. But soon after it took off, police interrupted the scene. A sizable force had gathered, with at least nine police vans in the area. At around 4:50 p.m. local time, riot police suddenly charged at protesters at an area near the intersection between Salisbury Road and Nathan Road, which is right before Salisbury Garden. The police fired pepper spray and tear gas, before making at least two arrests. The police then put up a blue flag, declaring that people are engaging in an illegal…