Beijing attacks Taiwan ship transfer to Philippines
On.cc · 1 SOURCESabout 5 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Beijing on Wednesday stepped up its criticism of Taiwan, linking cross-strait tensions to a reported transfer of a retired Taiwanese patrol and rescue vessel to the Philippine Coast Guard through the Protect the Oceans Foundation in the Philippines. The vessel was identified by Philippine-side information as the Kinmen, a decommissioned ship from Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration that had been refurbished months earlier at the Zuoying naval port in Kaohsiung. China also used the occasion to denounce Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te's remarks last Saturday about defending peace through strength, and to reiterate opposition to any official exchanges between the Philippines and Taiwan
Key Points
- Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te said last Saturday that, amid major international changes and rising threats from the mainland, peace must be defended through strength
- On Wednesday, Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Zhu Fenglian accused Lai's administration of clinging to a separatist “Taiwan independence” stance and undermining peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait
- Zhu said no amount of extra budget or weapons purchases by the Democratic Progressive Party authorities could change what Beijing called the inevitable failure of “Taiwan independence”
- She also criticised Taiwan's wartime contingency planning for designating civilian facilities, including a children's future museum, as emergency response centres
- A ceremony on Monday saw the Protect the Oceans Foundation donate a training ship to the Philippine Coast Guard; Philippine information said it was Taiwan's retired Kinmen patrol rescue vessel
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the episode shows how cross-strait disputes are increasingly intersecting with South China Sea frictions and Manila-Taipei contacts, widening the diplomatic arena around regional security. It also underlines that Beijing is treating not only arms and budgets, but also civil preparedness, transport links and quasi-official exchanges as part of the broader Taiwan question