New AIT Director Pledges Continued U.S. Support for Taiwan’s Self-Defense
The United States will continue to help Taiwan strengthen its ability to defend itself, the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said in a meeting with Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te on July 10.
Greene assumed his new role as AIT director on July 8, serving as the U.S.’ top envoy to Taiwan.
“First of all, and the most important thing, the U.S. will strongly support Taiwan’s self-defense capabilities,” Greene said, adding that this support is in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act and the Six Assurances.
Greene, who delivered his remarks in Mandarin, stressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, describing it as a common and long-term interest of both the U.S. and Taiwan, and as extremely important for global security and prosperity.
He also said he was confident that “with the support of the global democratic community, we can safeguard Taiwan’s democracy.”
Calling Taiwan “a key partner” in promoting trade and the global supply chain resilience, Greene said he was looking forward to working with the Lai administration to advance bilateral economic, cultural and technological cooperation.
In his remarks, President Lai thanked the U.S. for showing its commitment to supporting Taiwan’s efforts to strengthen its security, as evidenced by the 15 announcements of arms sales to Taiwan under the Biden administration over the past four years.
Lai reiterated his pledge to maintain the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait, despite increasing challenges posed by China, and expressed his hope of working closely with the U.S. and other like-minded countries in support of the prosperity and development of the Indo-Pacific region.
Lai went on to say Taiwan is dedicated to further deepening economic and trade ties with the U.S., including advancing the second round of negotiation under the Taiwan-U.S. Initiative on 21st Century Trade and resolving the double taxation issue.
As a career diplomat, Greene has previously been posted to Taiwan twice, including serving as deputy AIT director from 2018 to 2021.
Before arriving in Taiwan to take charge of the AIT, which represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties, Greene was deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Japan.
References:
[1] Taipei Times
[2] Taiwan Today
Taiwan, U.S. Sign US$345 Million Contract for F-16V Infrared Tracking Systems
Taiwan has signed an NT$11.25 billion (US$345 million) contract with the United States to procure infrared search and track systems that will be used for F-16V fighter jets, a military source said.
According to a notice posted on July 12 on the Government e-Procurement System, the deal to procure “infrared search and track (IRST) systems” as signed by Taiwan’s Defense Mission to the U.S.A. and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on June 25.
The contract is valid from the day it was signed to December 31, 2030.
The IRST systems, which were first announced in an arms sale package on August 23, 2023, will be used on Taiwan’s fleet of 66 F-16V fighter jets ordered from the U.S., a military source with knowledge of the matter told CNA.
Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said the new-generation IRST systems were developed specifically for the F-16V and will vastly enhance the fighters’ target acquisition and tracking capabilities and overall air combat performance.
Shu Hsiao-huang, a scholar with the government-funded Institute for National Defense and Security Research, told CNA last year that the IRSTs could be effectively deployed against China’s fifth-generation fighters.
He said the systems could pick up heat signatures emitted by aircraft, such as engine exhaust and heat generated by friction between the fuselage and the air, giving it the upper hand on China’s new fighters, which would be otherwise hard to detect due to their compact radar cross-section.
References:
[1] Focus Taiwan
[2] Taiwan News
56 Chinese Warplanes Cross Taiwan Strait Median Line, Extension
A total of 56 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or its extension between 5 a.m. of July 10 and 6 a.m. of July 11, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND).
The planes flew into the northern, southeastern, and southwestern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), the MND said in a statement on July 11.
The planes were part of a larger fleet of 66 aircraft detected around Taiwan, the MND said.
Of the 56 aircraft, some flew as close as 33 nautical miles (61 km) from Cape Eluanbi on Taiwan’s southernmost tip, flight paths released by the MND showed.
An ADIZ is an area over which a country claims the right to identify, locate, and control approaching foreign aircraft, but is not considered territorial airspace under international law.
According to the MND, the armada of planes that passed through Taiwan’s ADIZ were en route to join the Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong for a drill in the Western Pacific.
As of July 10 morning, the Shandong had transited through the Balintang Channel north of the Philippines, the MND said.
The Chinese military exercises coincide with a NATO summit in Washington.
Su Tzu-yun, a research fellow at the Institute of National Defense and Security Research, said that the flight paths taken by some of the planes were unusual.
He was referring to 26 aircraft that flew southwest to northeast through Taiwan’s southeastern ADIZ before again changing direction and leaving the area.
The flight path was unusual, as Balintang Channel is located southeast of Taiwan.
The planes likely took this unusual path deliberately, in response to the inauguration of American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene earlier this week and his meeting with President Lai Ching-te on July 10, Su said.
Greene told Lai during the meeting in Taipei that the U.S. would “continue to strongly support Taiwan” as it strives to boost its self-defense capabilities.
Sudden increases in Chinese military activity are often a way for Beijing to show its “displeasure” at international affairs, Su noted.
