(28 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Taipei City – 28 May 2025
1. Wide of Taiwan Defence Ministry press conference
2. Close of inscription reading “Ministry of National Defence”
3. Close of defence ministry logo
4. Mid of journalist taking photo
5. Wide of Hu Chung-hua, Colonel in the Taiwan Defence Ministry’s intelligence department, walking to podium
6. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Hu Chung-hua, Colonel in the Taiwan Defence Ministry’s intelligence department:
"The Liaoning (aircraft carrier) is currently in our southeast waters. Our forces are closely monitoring with C4ISR (Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) means and we are knowledgeable of its path since the beginning. The Defence Ministry declines to comment whether it (China) will conduct a drill around Taiwan. When dealing with the PLA, we do anticipate the enemy as broadly as possible and to defend against the enemy strictly — this means they are prepared no matter what. We also carefully evaluate and act accordingly."
7. Mid of journalist asking a question
8. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) Su Tong-wei, Colonel in the Taiwan Defence Ministry’s operation and planning department:
“Regarding China’s targeted military drills and grey zone harassments, we are evaluating the levels of threat to consider whether to activate a response centre, or to increase our defence readiness to perform an immediate readiness drill. We will also react accordingly to safeguard national security.”
9. Various of military officers leaving conference
STORYLINE:
Taiwan’s defence ministry is closely monitoring the path and activities of China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning as pro-Taiwan US Sen. Tammy Duckworth is visiting the democratic self-governing island to discuss regional security and relations with the US.
Col. Hu Chung-hua of the Taiwanese Defence Ministry’s’ intelligence department told reporters Wednesday that the carrier was currently in waters southeast of Taiwan and has been under close surveillance by Taiwan’s monitoring stations since leaving its home port in China.
There are concerns the carrier might stage military drills close to Taiwan that could be a further step toward a blockade, an act the U.S. would be required to respond to under its own laws.
While the U.S. provides much of Taiwan’s high-tech military hardware, the law is unclear whether it would send forces to aid Taiwan in the event of a conflict.
Hu said the ministry would not comment on the possibility of drills near Taiwan, but considers all options while monitoring the Chinese military.
The ministry "anticipates the enemy as broadly as possible and defends against the enemy strictly. We also carefully evaluate and act accordingly,” Hu said.
China is considered a master of “grey-zone encounters” that bring tensions just to the point of breaking out into open conflict.
Col. Su Tong-wei of the ministry’s operation of planning said the armed forces were constantly evaluating threat levels to consider whether to “activate a response centre, or to increase our defence readiness to perform an immediate readiness drill.”
"We will also react accordingly to safeguard national security,” Su said.
While China sends military aircraft, ships and spy balloons near Taiwan as part of a campaign of daily harassment, special attention has been given this week to the location of the Liaoning, China’s first aircraft carrier, whose hull was bought from Ukraine and then fitted out by China more than a decade ago.
AP video shot by: Taijing Wu
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