Taiwan sets up airborne unit for Spratlys

[s002wjh]

Taiwan sets up airborne unit for Spratlys | Inquirer Global Nation

Taiwan sets up airborne unit for Spratlys
Agence France-Presse
3:16 pm | Wednesday, May 2nd, 2012
share107 105

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan's defence ministry said Wednesday that it has formed a special airborne unit capable of scrambling to the contested Spratly islands in just hours, as tensions in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) mounted.

The unit has been set up under a plan named "airborne fast response and maritime support" which was unveiled for the first time in a report by the ministry to parliament, officials said.

No details of the unit, such as its size, were released to the public, but local media said that if needed, it can arrive on Taiping Island, the biggest in the disputed waters, onboard C-130 transport planes within four hours.

Despite protests from other countries with claims in the area, Taiwan in 2006 built a 1,150-metre (3,795-foot) runway on the fortified island, which is about 860 miles (1,376 kilometres) away from Taiwan.

Also on Wednesday, Taiwan's coastguards said its troops stationed on Taiping will be armed with mortars with a range of 6,100 metres (20,000 feet), nearly doubling the range of mortars currently in use.

The moves come as an increasing number of Vietnamese fishing boats have been reported by Taiwan authorities to intrude into the restricted waters of Taiping.

The number of intruding Vietnamese boats surged to 106 last year, up from 42 the previous year, according to the coastguards, which added 41 Vietnamese fishing vessels had intruded into the waters in the four months to April.

Tensions in the West Philippine Sea have risen recently, with China and the Philippines locked in a maritime dispute over Scarborough Shoal (Panatag Shoal), a reef off the Philippine coast.

The tensions began when Chinese maritime vessels blocked the Philippine navy from arresting the crews of eight fishing vessels which had entered the area.

Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei, China, Malaysia, and the Philippines claim all or part of the potentially oil-rich Spratlys.

All claimants except Brunei have troops based on the archipelago of more than 100 islets, reefs and atolls, which have a total land mass of less than five square kilometres (two square miles).

 

[Oblaks]

If they are , it is not to back up China.

Taiwan will not work with China on South China Sea issues: official
2012/05/21 15:32:32
- CNA ENGLISH NEWS

 

[Mad Indian]

^^^^No Sane country will work with CCP. Who knows when they will backstab

 

[W.G.Ewald]

^^
Too many threads deteriorate like this, making discussion impossible. Perjorative language is quite useless.

 

[Ray]

This new development is most interesting.

It is possibly to ensure that ROC lands out there first, if China attempts to take over.

Thereafter, the US would mediate the issue between ROC and others, US being a sane country compared to Communist China.

 

[Ray]

^^
Too many threads deteriorate like this, making discussion impossible. Perjorative language is quite useless.

One has to get used to this, especially from the Chinese members.

When they have no facts to put forward, they tend to enter the realm of obfuscation or total irrelevance.

Some of them have made it their Art of Living and some their occupation, as deemed by their superiors.

 

[s002wjh]

there are alot country interest in SCS. and none of them really work together to settle the issues, just self interest.

i don't understand how people shift from taiwan airborne to taiwan won't work with or back up china etc. if your guys really that bias and has to make any effort or opportunity to bashing china even with unrelated subject, maybe this forum should open a new anti-china section instead.

taiwan has their own interest in SCS, same as china, philippine, vietnam, and none of them are goody goody country. its about self interest, and the only difference is china is a major power. if the situation were reversed, and any of those country above has the same amount of power as china then they will do the same, maybe worst.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

the point was this thread was there are alot country interest in SCS. and none of them really work together to settle the issues, just self interest.

All them work with USA so there is a shared common interest..

 

[s002wjh]

All them work with USA so there is a shared common interest..

nah they pratically beg US to settle the dispute but US want to stay out of it. as long as china doesn't invade these country, i don't think US will want to involve its military.

 

[Ray]

taiwan has their own interest in SCS, same as china, philippine, vietnam, and none of them are goody goody country. its about self interest, and the only difference is china is a major power. if the situation were reversed, and any of those country above has the same amount of power as china then they will do the same, maybe worst.

As per a post by a Chinese poster, it was the KMT which put forward the Dashes Theory.

So, how is it that they are not with China over the Chinese claim of Philippines Island?

 

[s002wjh]

As per a post by a Chinese poster, it was the KMT which put forward the Dashes Theory.

So, how is it that they are not with China over the Chinese claim of Philippines Island?

cause taiwan want SCS themself, doubt they have the power to do it though.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

nah they pratically beg US to settle the dispute but US want to stay out of it. as long as china doesn't invade these country, i don't think US will want to involve its military.

US is supplying most of the weaponry and doing exercises,this would not be considered getting involved?

 

[no smoking]

As per a post by a Chinese poster, it was the KMT which put forward the Dashes Theory.

So, how is it that they are not with China over the Chinese claim of Philippines Island?

Because they still need USA's protection to keep Chinese away from their coast. If they PUBLICLY work with Chinese, how can they explain that to USA?
But, they ARE willing to co-operate with China within this area secretely, vietname knows it and everyone knows it.
There were stories among Taiwaneses:
In last 70s, taiwan navy provided centain level support to PLAN in Sino-south vietnam war.
Several years ago, it was PLAN ships forced vietnam to back off when they tried to take over the one of sprtlys island occupied by Taiwan.

 

[Oblaks]

there are alot country interest in SCS. and none of them really work together to settle the issues, just self interest.

i don't understand how people shift from taiwan airborne to taiwan won't work with or back up china etc. if your guys really that bias and has to make any effort or opportunity to bashing china even with unrelated subject, maybe this forum should open a new anti-china section instead.

taiwan has their own interest in SCS, same as china, philippine, vietnam, and none of them are goody goody country. its about self interest, and the only difference is china is a major power. if the situation were reversed, and any of those country above has the same amount of power as china then they will do the same, maybe worst.

First of all you opened a topic about Taiwan on a forum about china.