Debate continues over Chinese balloon shot down by US military

2023-02-08

And talk continues about the Chinese spy balloon that was shot down by the U.S. four days ago. China insists that the object was a civilian balloon used mainly for meteorological purposes. But suspicions remain that it was actually used for espionage. A surge in publications in recent years shows that China has been very interested in military applications for balloons.

This video appears to show the U.S. military shooting down a Chinese balloon that had entered U.S. airspace. The U.S. Navy has since released photos of the balloon’s debris. Commenting on the incident, Japan said it will do the same if necessary in the future.

Hamada Yasukazu
Japanese minister of defense
If there is a need to do such a thing to protect lives and property, it will be done.

The Japanese defense ministry says it will change its approach from that of three years ago, when a balloon was spotted drifting in several areas of the country. China insists that the balloon that was shot down was used for “mainly meteorological” purposes, and was not a military aircraft. The claims have been received with suspicion, as publications from recent years show China’s growing interest in military applications for balloons.

A report from April 2022 focusing on the military use of high-altitude balloons mentions that the technology can be used in different battle scenarios. For example, releasing a large number of balloons can be used to monitor the enemy’s early-warning systems, and wear out enemy air defenses. There are also publications stating that loading balloons with explosives could pose a threat at ground level even if they are shot down. Analysts say China has been thoroughly researching the technology and its military applications.

Wang Zhin-sheng
Association of Chinese Elite Leadership
The question is not whether it was a military or a civilian balloon. The question is whether that kind of balloon can be used for military operations such as collecting intelligence and espionage. Even if it were a civilian balloon, it still could be used for military operations. China says that it was a civilian balloon, and that it had nothing to do with the military. But that argument doesn’t stand. China is a communist totalitarian country, as such nothing is truly civilian.

The balloon has further raised tensions between the U.S. and China, which could only get worse if it is determined that the balloon was being used for military purposes.

中國堅稱氣球氣象用慘遭自家文獻打臉

2023-02-08

中國間諜氣球闖入美國領空，遭美軍擊落，引發後續極大風波，中方堅稱這是氣象科研使用，卻被翻出的文獻狠狠打臉，因為內容提到氣球可達成監視敵方預警系統、疲憊騷擾空防體系等目的，且不論是地面防空武器還是空中力量，都很難攔截、擊毀，甚至提出未來可運用於戰場的對策，戳破北京謊言。

疑似美國軍方打下中國間諜氣球的影片流出，美國海軍也公布氣球殘骸的最新照片，看到美國擊落，日本也表明態度。

[[日本防衛大臣濱田靖一]]
“為了守護生命財產，如果有必要這麼做，將會如此實施(擊落氣球)。”

日本防衛省強調未來若有需要，不會再重演三年前，放任中國間諜氣球四處飄的局面。雖然中國堅持這只是「氣象科研」，與軍事無關，但近來有論文與文獻被翻出，寫到空飄球在軍事上的運用。

[[解放軍論文轉場]]

這篇在去年四月，以「空飄球在軍事對抗中的運用」為題的文章，提到氣球在軍事上根據不同作戰任務，大規模施放可達成監視敵對方預警系統、疲憊騷擾空防體系等作戰目的，而且若氣球載有炸彈，即使擊中也會對地面構成威脅，類似文獻還有不少，顯示解放軍早已對氣球用在戰場，做了深入研究。

[[中華亞太菁英交流協會秘書長王智盛]]
“問題不在軍用、民用，問題在於這樣的氣球，能不能進行相關的情蒐、間諜等軍事用途。即便是民用狀況，都能夠轉為軍事用途。中國講說這是民用氣球，不關軍事用途的說法不攻自破。中國是共產極權的國家，並沒有真正民用。”

氣球侵門踏戶，已讓美中降到冰點，若最後證實是軍事用，兩國關係恐怕真的回不去了。

Taiwan rushes to help Turkey with donations and search and rescue teams

Taiwan is offering all the help and aid it can to Turkey, after a magntitude-7.8 earthquake that has killed more than 11,000. President Tsai Ing-wen has announced a donation of US$2 million dollars, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has opened up a bank account to accept donations from the public. Taiwan has also mobilized two search-and-rescue teams, the first of which has already reached the disaster zone. Turkey’s representative to Taiwan was at a loss for words when he tried to express how thankful he was for the help.

A reporter for CNN Turk, a subsidiary of the U.S. broadcaster, speaks to the camera. Behind him are rescuers from Taiwan. After a 37-hour-long journey, they’ve arrived at Adiyaman Province, one of the hardest hit areas in the recent earthquake. They immediately got to work.

At the crack of dawn, 5 a.m. local time, the search and rescue team was already going all out on their mission.

A search and rescue dog scours what used to be an eight-storey apartment block for survivors. From the third floor down, the building has collapsed to rubble. Still, team Taiwan did not give up. They joined forces with a Nigerian team to devise a new plan.

Chen Chien-jen
Premier
Right after the 1999 Jiji Earthquake, Turkey was among the first countries to send search and rescue teams to Taiwan. Now is the perfect occasion for us to return the favor.

Over in Taipei, the Taiwan Lantern Festival, which kicked off on Sunday commemorated the victims with a light installation featuring the Turkish flag.

At the venue, Turkish representative Muhammed Berdibek led the local Turkish expat community to lay flowers for the lives lost. It was a gathering organized by a Taiwanese supermarket chain to send wishes to Turkey and to return the goodwill shown by Turkey after the 1999 Jiji earthquake.

Muhammed Berdibek
Turkish Trade Office in Taipei
Yesterday we made our national requirement in-kind donation request. This lunch time, we have just received over 2,800 messages and phone calls. I am surprised and really grateful for the Taiwanese people, for their goodwill and kindness.

On Tuesday night, the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei published a list of urgently needed items for those affected, including winter coats, gloves and tents. The Taiwanese public had responded in kind, and on the same day President Tsai Ing-wen increased the country’s donation to Turkey to US$2 million. The foreign ministry had also opened a special bank account to accept donations from the public. Berdibek added that words failed to express his gratitude to the two rescue teams already in his country.
.
Muhammed Berdibek
Turkish Trade Office in Taipei
Nothing to say to you for that. They are going to Turkey. They are trying to save thousands of lives. I’ll try to shake hands with each one of them specifically. I’m just trying to tell them, “What can I do?” The only words I can tell them are “thank you.”

Two Turkish artists who contributed to the lantern festival happened to take the same flight to Taiwan as the search and rescue team. One of them captured the moment on video, giving a thumbs-up and signaling love hearts to the team members to thank them. Joining the Turkish representative was Turkish-Taiwanese entertainer Ugur Rifat Karlova, who also came up to thank Taiwan for its help.

Ugur Rifat Karlova
Comedian
Many tragedies are happening. So I came to take part in this event, to tell everyone that the Taiwanese people have been very concerned about the situation in Turkey. Some countries don’t have earthquakes, so they don’t truly know what it’s like. But everyone in Taiwan has experienced earthquakes. You know how scary it is when the ground starts swaying.

The Tzu Chi Foundation has also launched relief efforts, ready to send blankets and other supplies to Turkey. In the aftermath of the earthquake, Taiwan’s government and associations are working together to help Turkey get through this tough time.

2023-02-08

Taiwan center in southern Turkey provides shelter to hundreds of locals

2023-02-08

High-calorie, high-protein diet is the key to living happily with dialysis: doctors

2023-02-08

KMT vice chair sets off for 10-day China visit including meeting with TAO head

KMT Vice Chair Andrew Hsia has set out on a 10-day visit to China, which will include meetings with top CCP officials, such as the head of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.The visit has sparked outrage from the DPP, which sees it as a politically motivated move. DPP officials say Hsia should make the purpose of his visit clear to the people of Taiwan, saying there’s an ulterior motive: to promote China’s unification ambitions.

KMT Vice Chair Andrew Hsia and his delegation left for China on Wednesday. He was accompanied by several party bigwigs, including KMT Mainland Affairs Department head Lin Chu-chia, as well as former minister without portfolio Kao Su-po, who is also KMT Chair Eric Chu’s brother-in-law and currently serves as board member for the KMT’s official think tank, the National Policy Foundation. The visit comes amid heightened U.S.-China tension over a suspected spy balloon.

Andrew Hsia
KMT vice chair
My visit this time has no political objective. We’re there to connect with the people and to communicate, that’s all. For many there’s never a right time to visit. Actually the more heightened the risk, the more necessary the visit.

Huang Tsai-ling
DPP spokesperson
What an understatement. Are they taking the Taiwanese people for fools or what? They’re afraid of admitting that their most important goal for this visit is to broker another truce with the CCP. We hope Vice Chair Hsia can tell the people what’s on his itinerary, who he’ll be seeing and where, and what they’ll be talking about. Stop using the local community as an excuse and risk Taiwan’s security.

On his 10-day visit, Hsia will first land in Beijing. On Day Two he’ll meet with Taiwan Affairs Office head Song Tao, and on Day Three, CCP politburo member Wang Huning, who’s also a member of the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs.

Andrew Hsia
KMT vice chair
No, I don’t suppose I’ll be meeting with Xi Jinping. I’ll meet with Song Tao, the new Taiwan Affairs Office head. As for others, as guests, we’ll do as the host sees fit. We’re not against any arrangements they’ve made for us.

Chang Chih-hao
DPP Central Executive Committee
He’s meeting face-to-face with Wang Huning, the mastermind behind the “one country, two systems” policy on Taiwan. So clearly he’s paying tribute to China and to advance Chinese unification. “Discussing cross-strait trade”? Stop lying. You’re only deceiving yourself.

Andrew Hsia
KMT vice chair
I think I’ve made it very clear. I’ve only one goal: to advocate for the Taiwanese people’s greatest interests.

Cheng Yun-peng
DPP caucus member
The KMT vice chair should stand firm and make it clear that he won’t play second fiddle to Beijing and become a tool for their united front strategy.

The whole country is watching whether Hsia’s visit will turn political again, as it did last year when he made a similar trip in August.

2023-02-08

Search and rescue dogs take business class to Turkey

2023-02-08

Turkey earthquake more powerful than 1999 Jiji earthquake: seismologists

For many people, the earthquake in Turkey has brought back memories of the 1999 Jiji earthquake, which left thousands dead in Taiwan’s central region. Seismologists say that the quake in Turkey was even more powerful, caused by a fault that is 200 kilometers long. They say that Taiwan may not see such a powerful tremor on land, as the longest fault is just 100 kilometers long. But there are faults off the east coast that are longer and can trigger quakes with magnitudes higher than 7.

The magnitude-7.8 earthquake in Turkey has captured global attention. For Taiwan, it was a reminder of disasters past.

Just over 20 years ago, the 1999 Jiji earthquake, with a magnitude of 7.3, killed thousands in Taiwan. Experts say that quake was much milder than the one in Turkey.

Chen Kuo-chang
CWB Seismological Center
The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8. Compared with the 1999 Jiji earthquake, it was about twice as powerful. The Chelungpu Fault in Taiwan is 112 kilometers long. For an earthquake that powerful to happen it would need to be about 150 kilometers long. We’ve been carrying out surveys in Taiwan, but so far we have not found fault lines that long.

Experts say fault lines off the coast of Hualien and Taitung are the ones to watch out for.

Voice of Chen Wen-shan
Former NTU geosciences professor
The fault lines off the coast are longer. The only one which could be able to trigger an earthquake like that actually did so already. It’s a fault line on the seabed off the coast of Hualien to the north. In 1920, it caused an earthquake with a magnitude of about 7.8.

Chen Kuo-chang
CWB Seismological Center
Over the past 30 or 40 years, all the bigger earthquakes struck off the east coast. Meanwhile, the west coast has just been building energy, except for the 1999 Jiji earthquake. We should still be cautious.

In the latter half of 2022 several powerful earthquakes shook the east coast, including one in Taitung on Sept. 18 and another one in Hualien in December. The most recent one was a 4.4 quake on Wednesday morning, off the coast of Yilan. The Central Weather Bureau says it will continue collecting seismic data about Taiwan, urging the general public to not be overly worried, as building codes require structures to be resistant to shaking.

2023-02-08

A tooth with small cracks can be split open by a mere guava: dentists

The internet was recently regaled by a cautionary tale of dentistry. A young woman was shocked to find a part of her tooth fall out while she was eating a guava. Most people would think the sweet fruit is not such a hazard. But dentists say that if your tooth already has small cracks in it, lots of foods could cause it to crack even more.

This X-ray shows a row of teeth. One of them has cracked to the root. It’s missing a big chunk. Astonishingly, it broke while the patient was eating a guava.

Member of public
It’s absurd! There must be some other reason?

Member of public
My dad’s tooth fell out while he was eating. The guava must have been too hard.

A dentist posted the story on Facebook. A young woman came to his clinic saying that she had just been nibbling on a guava. The dentist laughed – she was the third patient with a guava-induced cracked tooth that day. They would need ceramic crowns. The patient said she had no forewarning. But the dentist says in fact she had been warned there was a small crack in the tooth before, and should have dealt with it.

Wen Ssu-yung
Taipei Dental Association
If there are already some small ruptures in the tooth, you just need to put force on that angle of the crack, and there is a real chance that it will break. You could break your tooth on a guava or even on bread.

A tooth can break on any harder object, if it already has decay or small cracks. The speed and angle of chewing are big factors too. Guavas have very hard seeds, say dentists. With a swift bite, even a healthy tooth could crack. Lots of foods need to be eaten with caution.

Wen Ssu-yung
Taipei Dental Association
Apples have a slightly glossy surface, and when you bite into them with lateral friction, it could happen. Meat jerky and beef shanks and those kinds of tougher foods – because you don’t just bite them, you also have to grind them.

Dentists recommend that you eat slowly and mindfully if you have tooth decay or any cracks in your teeth. Don’t chomp down too forcefully on food, and give your jaw a break.

2023-02-08

Filipino artist Marina Cruz depicts memories of a flood-swept childhood in Bulacan

And finally we meet Marina Cruz, an award-winning artist from the Philippines whose works are currently exhibited in Taipei. Cruz originally lived in Bulacan Province in a childhood home built by her grandfather in the late 1940s in a low area near the coast. Cruz remembers the house as being filled with water twice a month, which became a rich source for her artistic inspiration. Her exhibition amounts to a memento of her family life, with vivid paintings of household objects, such as her grandmother’s hand-sewn clothes. Our reporter Stephany Yang spoke to the curator of the exhibition to find out more.

This painting depicts the childhood home of artist Marina Cruz in the province of Bulacan in the Philippines. In the painting, Cruz draws the front yard of her house, which was often flooded.

There’s also a painting of the interior of Cruz’s old dining room. Cruz’s new exhibition in Taipei showcases paintings and installations depicting some of Cruz’s most prized possessions, along with family memories from her childhood home.

Queena Chu
Curator
The family house is located very near the sea so the flood will come into the house every like twice in a month. But, the artist says, the flooding is not a catastrophe. It is more like a guest that will visit them twice a month.

In this work, "The Walking Suitcase," Cruz draws pictures of video cassettes, letters, and stuffed animals on top of suitcases. On display are also paintings of vintage clothes hand-sewn by Cruz’s grandmother. These works are rich in detail, even showing the fabrics’, stitches, folds, and creases. Through these paintings, Cruz wanted to document and preserve the historical objects from her childhood home.

Queena Chu
Curator
For a long time, she always used her family stories as a reference or we can say, inspire her to do the practice. But, in recent days she finally realized the house will be eventually moved away after her grandmother’s death. She wants to keep the house, but not in a physical way, but in her art.

Cruz is an award-winning artist from the Philippines. Her works are now on display at an exhibition titled "Fabric, Interior and Water" at the Mind Set Art Center until Feb. 24.

2023-02-08

Debate continues over Chinese balloon shot down by US military