Taiwan on Monday reported the largest incursion since January by China’s air force in its air defense zone, with the island’s defense ministry saying Taiwanese fighters scrambled to warn away 30 aircraft in the latest uptick in tensions. Reuters
Tag: Taiwan
Taiwanese civilians taking up target practice
Shots popped and echoed beneath the cavernous ceiling. The would-be defenders kept shooting, switching between rifles and pistols leveled at cardboard targets. On a final command, the clamor subsided, leaving plastic pellets scattered across the floor. Su let his BB gun drop. Los Angeles Times
Ukraine today, Taiwan tomorrow?
As the West spends billions in aid to support Ukraine’s offensive against Russia, concerns are mounting over the looming possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. All this rhetoric begs the question: Just how feasible is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan at this point? France24
Taiwan turns coast guard vessels into ‘ship killers’
Taiwan Coast Guard vessels are being transformed into missile-launching “ship killers” that could be quickly rolled out to defend the nation in the event of a Chinese invasion. taiwannews.com.tw
Taiwan military to double recruitment next year
Taiwan’s military said recently that it will start recruiting twice the annual number of special reservists next year, as part of a reform project to create a more reliable backup force for the country’s regular troops, amid China’s growing military threats. focustaiwan.tw
Was Excluding Taiwan from Indo-Pacific Framework a mistake
A slew of business groups, and many in Congress, think Biden has it wrong. They’re calling on the administration to get behind enforceable market access commitments. The Hill
Should the United States Treat Taiwan Differently Than Ukraine?
The policy of strategic ambiguity does technically give the United States a way of staying out of any war between China and Taiwan, but the reality, even before Biden’s several comments, is that the world was already expecting the United States to send military forces into any China-Taiwan fray, thus risking nuclear escalation. NationalInterest.org
From strategic ambiguity to strategic incoherence
Washington now faces a serious dilemma. It is concerned that strategic ambiguity may no longer be sufficient to deter China from invading Taiwan, particularly in the face of China’s increasingly assertive talk of “resolving” the Taiwan issue through reunification. This could imply that the US needs to clarify and strengthen its security commitments. Asia Times
Taiwan ranks No. 1 worldwide for IQ
On May 16, Finnish enterprise Wiqtcom Inc. released the results of its Worldwide IQ test for 2022. Coming in first place out of over 100 countries was Taiwan, with an average IQ of 116.07. taiwannews.com.tw
Top Ten List according to worldwide-iq-test.com
| # | Country | Average IQ | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Taiwan | 116.07 | 14.26 |
| 2. | Japan | 112.69 | 12.16 |
| 3. | Hungary | 111.42 | 15.03 |
| 4. | South Korea | 111.36 | 14.09 |
| 5. | Iran | 111.33 | 14.13 |
| 6. | Hong Kong | 111.01 | 12.74 |
| 7. | Serbia | 110.09 | 16.69 |
| 8. | Italy | 110.87 | 15.93 |
| 9. | Vietnam | 109.37 | 12.49 |
| 10. | Finland | 109.02 | 18.22 |
Keeping it in the family: Wayne Chiang to run for Taipei mayor
The great grandson of the late Kuomintang leader Chiang Kai-shek has been selected as the party’s candidate to become the next mayor of Taipei.
But Wayne Chiang Wan-an, a KMT legislator in Taiwan’s parliament, still faces a long battle and will need to beat some formidable foes. South China Morning Post